***Official*** NHL Lockout news thread ***Confirmed***

[rh71]

Originally posted by: Baked
If The Great One is the commish, this would never happen.

yes, they need a hockey person up in the ranks so at least the players would respect his decision, even if it were for "cost certainty". Bettman is seen as just a businessman... and we already know he knows very little about the game itself. The players union flat out called him a liar.

 

[IHateMyJob2004]

As soon as peoplerealize athletes shouldn't have $10M homes, maybe things would get better.

 

[Aquaman]

Modano: Players' resolve has a limit

TSN.ca Staff
1/12/2005

According to a report in the National Post, Dallas Stars centre Mike Modano feels the resolve of the players may not last through a lost season and the solidarity of the NHL Players' Association will be in shambles.

''It's going to be tough to come back in October and say that we're going to stay tough and stand firm. You're going to have guys who are saying, 'What are we doing?' '' Modano told the National Post. ''You're going to have guys chomping at the bit to get a deal done.''

Modano, who stands to lose $9 million is salary this season, went on to tell the Post that if the lockout isn't resolved by the scheduled start of next season, players will be desperate to start earning NHL-level salaries again.

''I think it has come to the point now where the owners are willing to sacrifice a year or two to fix the game for 10 or 15 years down the road,'' Modano told the Post. ''There are guys who are missing out on the prime earnings of their careers. You feel for the guys who did the same for you in 1994.''

Cheers,
Aquaman

 

[rh71]

I wonder what Trevor Linden has to say about that..

 

[Klandestine]

wth is hockey

 

[rh71]

Originally posted by: Klandestine
wth is hockey

in the players' back pockets.

 

[Aquaman]

Modano clarifies quotes on lockout

TSN.ca Staff
1/12/2005

Dallas Stars centre Mike Modano clarified his quotes made in Wednesday's National Post, saying his remarks on the players' resolve on the NHL lockout were taken out of context.

"I think it was a little misconstrued and misquoted," he told TSN on Wednesday. "I think that whole clip was a little turned around, I talked to the fellow for a while last night, there were some things said that led to that result of 'us cracking,' but I really can't see that happening. Our guys have stayed strong, they have stuck together...the future of the game relies on that."

According to the story in the Post, Modano felt the players might not last through a lost season.

"It's going to be tough to come back in October and say that we're going to stay tough and stand firm. You're going to have guys who are saying, 'What are we doing?'" Modano was quoted telling the paper. "You're going to have guys chomping at the bit to get a deal done."

The 15-year NHL veteran explained that what was printed was open to interpretation.

"I think what was read yesterday could be twisted and turned and understood in many different ways," Modano told TSN.

"We're still very unified...our unity has become much stronger over the past four to five months. From what we've read from owners and from (NHL commissioner) Gary Bettman questioning our unity, it's something they shouldn't try doing."

According to the Post, Modano - who stands to lose $9 million US in salary this season - said that if the lockout isn't resolved by the scheduled start of next season, players will be desperate to start earning NHL-level salaries again.

Modano elaborated on the quotes, explaining that the players' resolve will be tested but would ultimately last.

"I think it will," Modano told TSN. "Deep down there may be a lot of guys questioning that, but I think in the long run we've grown to be very strong. We've put a lot of trust in our union and our negotiating committee and we have the upmost respect for Bob Goodenow and the decisions he has helped us make as a union.

"If it does come down to the fall, I do think some of the guys will feel nervous and wanting to play, but they'll want to play under the right circumstances."

Cheers,
Aquaman

 

[silverpig]

Again: I'll play for 100k a year

 

Whenever a NHL player opens their mouth all I ever hear coming out is "wah wah wah, cry cry cry".

 

[Ilmater]

Did you guys seen ESPN.com? Their front page is devoted to this.

 

[Aquaman]

McKenzie: Post writer put on the spot

TSN.ca Staff
1/12/2005

Mike Modano is entitled to his opinion. Mike Modano is entitled to change that opinion any time he sees fit. But when Mike Modano claims he was misquoted, well, that's a very different story.

Because when Modano says he was misquoted by Allan Woods of the National Post, he's effectively suggesting one of two things. One, Woods is incompetent or not very good at his job. Or two, Woods is dishonest.

And the truth is, there is no evidence to suggest Woods is anything but a competent, honest reporter just doing his job.

In this case, Woods quoted Modano as saying, and we paraphrase, it will be difficult for NHLPA members to reconcile missing a second season if the lockout should drag on into next season. It's worth noting that Modano did not say the NHLPA should accept a salary cap or "cost certainty." Modano did not say he would be a replacement player if the NHL should throw open the doors after completing the legal daily double of impasse and implementation. In fact, he did say he might even consider playing in the WHA (say what?) at some point.

Some people immediately interpreted Modano's comments as a sign Bob Goodenow won't be able to hold his constituents in line through the potential loss of a second season. And that's fine, because there was a certain open-endedness to his comments. And perhaps that's exactly what he meant. Or maybe not.

So if Modano came out today and said, "Hey, folks, you misunderstood or misconstrued what I said, at no time was I suggesting the NHLPA would crack, I was only saying it's going to be tough," that would be fine.

But to say he was misquoted, that those words in print are not his own, well, sorry I'm not buying it.

Any time a reporter and an athlete have an interview, there's always a chance of the player screaming "misquote." Unless there's a tape recording of it, it's up to the public to decide who's telling the truth and since reporters are pretty low on the universal food chain, it's often assumed that's where the fault lies.

But you have to look at the context. Woods had no particular axe to grind. Modano's words were offered not after a direct question on player solidarity, but when Woods asked him for a reaction to Carolina owner Peter Karmanos's comments about this season likely being over and the prospect of losing another season.

There is no reason to believe Woods did anything but what he's paid to do -- ask questions, get answers, write them down and put them in a newspaper story.

At the end of the day, it's difficult to know exactly how Mike Modano feels. It may be that he thinks NHLPA solidarity next October will be a house of cards. It may be that he knows it will be difficult but he's prepared to fight the good fight for as long as it takes. But it's a real leap of faith to believe he was "misquoted" or misrepresented.

Because anyone who knows anything about the dynamic of this lockout knows exactly what happened.

Modano made his comments, they were widely interpreted as a crack in NHLPA solidarity and the alarm bells rang at NHLPA headquarters on Bay Street in Toronto. No doubt, executive director Bob Goodenow marched into an underling's office and berated him for not being able to keep the constitutents in line.

That underling no doubt picked up the phone and called Modano to let him know how detrimental his words were to the cause and how Modano needs to set the record straight. Which is exactly what he did today, although in order to do that, he has to make Woods out to be the bad guy.

And that's not fair.

A lot of people snicker at how quickly the NHLPA speech police swing into action every time a player "misspeaks" but truth be told, that's normal operating procedure in any labour dispute. No union, or association, can afford its membership to have free speech, unless that free speech matches the union's party line. Dissension is like a disease, it can spread very quickly, and no union leadership in any business sits idly by while individual members speak out against the union.

That may seem a little Draconian but it's how the labour world operates.

Mangement, too, for that matter. That's one of the reasons why the NHL has the potential of a million dollar fine for speaking out of turn on the lockout.

And it's why it's highly likely that Hurricane ower Karmanos will be fined for his comments about projecting the end of the season and pontificating on the prospect of another lost season on top of this one.

Both sides do it, they just go about it in different ways, and it is the way of both management and union during labour strife.

It's all quite predictable, really. And it's rather easy to sympathize with the tight spot Modano found himself in today, but he shouldn't be wiggling out of it by suggesting a reporter didn't do his job properly.

Unless, of course, he really was misquoted.

Fat chance.

Cheers,
Aquaman

 

[Aquaman]

TSN's Burke proposes lockout solutions

by Brian Burke, special to TSN.ca
1/12/2005

There obviously isn't a lot going on right now in terms of getting a new collective bargaining agreement, but there are a couple of things we can talk about that might kick-start negotiations.

I hear a common reaction from NHL players that the owners are asking them to solve this problem. They're asking them to make all the concessions and somehow make this system work when the owners have not put forth a meaningful revenue-sharing proposition - which I think the owners should do and I would challenge them to do that. For example, you could look at something like this for the first five years of a ten-year agreement.

Revenue Sharing Proposal
Year Reg. Season Playoffs Total
2005-2006 $50M $75M $125M
2006-2007 $75M $75M $150M
2007-2008 $100M $75M $175M
2008-2009 $150M $75M $200M
2009-2010 $200M $75M $225M

Have the regular season revenue sharing at $50 million, increasing $25 million per year to $150 million in 2009-10. With playoff revenue sharing, you could get a total of $225 million available when all is said and done.

That might move the players' view on linkage and it might not, but it would certainly behoove them to do it and move the players off the linkage issue.

Proposal No. 1: The players have said that their proposal would work with their salary rollback and changes made to the system. Well, I'm from Missouri, and the motto in my home state is 'show me.' If you say this will work, then I would be asking the league if they would be willing to try it for two years.

Come back and play right now with no changes to anything but the rollback the players have put on the table and we play the rest of the year. Then we start a 10-year agreement starting in June and we take the players' proposal with six notable exceptions.

If the proposal works after two years, and the wages and revenues line up in terms of what the reasonable percentages should be, we stay on that system.

If it doesn't work, the players are capped for the remaining eight years of that deal.

Proposal No. 2: I would say the players' proposal is guaranteed, under what I just said, to move under a cap because it's not meaningful enough of a system. That being said, I would change six things.

1. A meaningful luxury tax of .75 cents on the dollar and have it start at a payroll of $38 million. The union has proposed a 20 percent tax starting at $40 million and it won't have any deterring effect on spending.

2. Maximize entry-level system bonuses at $300,000. If a player comes in and tears it up as a rookie, he can make some meaningful money - but not the millions and millions that so many young players have made. Pay that to the veterans.

3. Amend the arbitration system. Change it so that a player or a team can file, and only once every three years. If a two-year deal is awarded, they can only do it every four years. Go to a high-low system that's fair, keep the walk-away/walk-back option, but amend the arbitration.

4. Reduce the regular season schedule to 72 games. The league and the players play too many games - a fact that has been lost in the shuffle. In my mind, this is a meaningful thing for our fans that have been suffering through this. We play too many games, and the product suffers as a result.

5. Move buyouts to .50 cents on the dollar. Right now, it's either .33 cents or .66 cents. Make it simple at .50 cents.

6. Make qualifying offers at 75 percent. The union's proposal to re-tool it is meaningless in my opinion.

If you make those changes, and you try the players' proposal, I think it might work.

Now this set of proposals does not include a hard salary cap, and I don't know if the league will take anything but a hard cap. The owners have not moved off of cost certainty, but I think they're willing to consider a system that has cost certainty without a hard cap.

However, this cannot be done until the players move off linkage. It's not unreasonable for the owners to say this new system has to have a reasonable, rational relationship between the revenue the industry generates and the salaries that are paid to the players.

Cheers,
Aquaman

 

[Aquaman]

McKenzie: Window Of Opportunity

TSN.ca Staff
1/13/2005

Far be it for anyone to suggest there's reason for optimism on the NHL labour front, but the next week to 10 days should be nothing if not interesting.

Because that's about how long the window is open to save the season.

No one has firm dates -- nothing concrete anyway -- but the consenses seems to be that the fewest number of games the NHL could play for a credible regular season is 36. And that the latest said 36 game season could start would be the first few days of February.

Let's use Feb. 4 as a potential start date. That is three weeks from Friday. The shortest training camp the league could get away with would be seven days, so that leaves two weeks to negotiate an entire collective bargaining agreement.

Impossible?

Well, given the two sides aren't even talking right now and apparently don't plan on talking, it would easy to say it can't be done.

But there is much at stake and now, perhaps for the first time in this whole god forsaken process, there appears to be some jangled nerves on both sides. Not at the leadership level, mind you. NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and NHL Players' Association executive director Bob Goodenow appear to be as entrenched as ever, but one suspects their constituents maybe aren't so certain about what is about to unfold.

You can believe half of what's written or said about the owners getting ready to crack or the players preparing to fold -- less than half if it shows up in the New York Post -- but suffice to say there are people on both sides of this dispute who want to play hockey.

And now is the time when they better speak up, because in another week or two, it's too late.

And we don't mean go blabbing to the media, although if any players who will play under a cap system or owners who can live without absolute cost certainty feel the need to vent on national television, you've got my number.

What's needed now, though, is players and owners who aren't on the same page as Gary and Bob to let Gary and Bob know that.

If there are NHL owners out there who are looking at that 24 per cent rollback the players offered and thinking that if they add a luxury tax with teeth and make salary arbitration more palatable, it could work for them, time for those owners to rattle Bettman's chain.

And if there are players out there who are thinking a salary cap or "cost certainty" isn't the end of the world so long as the NHL lightens up on entry level restrictions and provides some real guarantees they won't be going back to the 1950s, time to pick up the phone and tell Goodenow exactly that.

Because if Bettman or Goodenow has it in their minds that some of their constituents aren't prepared to sacrifice this season, and who knows how much of next season, too, then it's their nerves that will get a little jangled. God help the leader, either one of them, who takes his group into nuclear war only to find out his boys are not in it for the long haul.

If, at the end of the next seven to 10 days, some owners haven't spoken up, some players stay mum and the dynamic between the NHL and NHLPA remains unaffected, then the only thing left to say is to wish them all very well because at least they'll be going into their nuclear winter with eyes wide open, richly deserving of whatever fate awaits them.

Cheers,
Aquaman

 

[Aquaman]

NHL coaches keeping themselves busy

Canadian Press
1/13/2005

Unlike the players, at least NHL coaches are getting paid during the lockout.

But they're in an unenviable position: stuck between the players they care for and owners who sign their paycheques.

"I'm Switzerland," deadpanned Nashville Predators head coach Barry Trotz.

But as the season slips away, so do the contracts of some coaches. Trotz's deal expires June 30, and he's not alone. Dave Tippett of the Dallas Stars and Mike Babcock of the Anaheim Mighty Ducks are among others in the same boat.

"It's kind of on the back burner right now (because of the lockout)," Tippett said from Dallas. "We're like everybody else, we're just waiting to see how all this pans out. We all realize the next few weeks are critical.

"Hopefully we'll address it once we figure out if there's a chance we're playing this year."

Babcock says he hasn't had any talks yet with Ducks management.

"The way I look at it is that I feel I've done a good job," he said from Anaheim. "Our team went to Game 7 of the Cup final two years ago and I've also won a world championship (last May in Prague). I'd like to think I'm an employable guy so there's no sense worrying.

"I'm not staying up at night thinking about it."

Atlanta Thrashers coach Bob Hartley need not worry, he's got a multi-year deal.

"When I got fired by Colorado and came here, we agreed on a deal that addressed the lockout so I'm fine, I didn't have to ask for any Christmas baskets," Hartley said from Atlanta.

The same goes for Tom Renney, who got a multi-year deal after adding the head coaching job to his player development duties with the New York Rangers.

"Under the circumstances, I'm pretty fortunate," Renney said from Calgary.

Like many NHL coaches, Ken Hitchcock has been able to stay busy during the lockout, helping out other hockey clubs and doing charity work the last few months.

But the Philadelphia Flyers head coach says his NHL coaching fraternity is now feeling more than a little stressed as time runs out to salvage a season.

"It's the first time since the lockout started that I've felt this way. I've talked to a few coaches in the last few days and we're really worried and anxious," Hitchcock said from Philadelphia.

All six coaches interviewed by The Canadian Press have kept busy with scouting, charity work, and volunteering with other hockey clubs at different levels.

Hitchcock, whose deal with the Flyers runs through June 2006, helped out coach Ken McCrae and his Corpus Christi Rayz and Bill McDonald with the New Mexico Scorpions - both Central Hockey League clubs. He also made a stop with his former junior club, the WHL's Kamloops Blazers, lending his expertise to Dean Clark and Mark Ferner.

He then spent some time at Princeton, where coach Guy Gadwosky is a longtime friend from Edmonton. And he continues to check in with Philadelphia's AHL farm club, the Phantoms.

"And the whole thing has been a really humbling experience," said Hitchcock. "I've been very impressed by how many hats coaches at different levels have to wear. I had forgotten about that. At our level, it's a very hard league to coach in, but you only really have one hat on, there are people to do every job.

"But at other levels, the coach has to do eight or nine or 10 jobs," added the Edmonton native. "It's been very humbling to watch these coaches operate when they're responsible for recruiting, drafting, for travel, accommodations, making trades, dealing with parents and schools - it's just amazing how full their days are."

Renney has been as busy as ever scouting the globe thanks to his player development duties.

"I've been everywhere," said the native of Cranbrook, B.C. "We've also done some coaching clinics and youth clinics in New York but by and large my time has been centered around preparing for the draft. I've been in Europe a couple of times and I'm going again in a week or so."

For Tippett, the lockout started with recovery from major neck surgery Sept 1.

"They had to fuse a couple of vertebrae in my neck, trying to get my arm working again," Tippett said. "It was about six weeks of struggle but now I feel great, I wish I had done it a few years ago.

"Now I need a little stress in my life to test it out," he added with a laugh.

Trotz needed an adjustment period after the lockout began.

"For me, the first month I was walking around aimlessly," he said from Kelowna, where he's planning to build a new home. "I mean, I was doing things, I was Mr. Mom and all that, but my mind was on the game."

Once he shook it off, the native of Dauphin, Man., got busy, taking classes, getting involved in programs with Predators season-ticket holders, and also helping out a high school hockey team in Nashville.

He was also able to spend more time with his four kids, including his youngest son, who has Down's Syndrome.

"There's always a silver lining through bad times," said Trotz.

Tippett wonders if he's cramped the style of his two teenaged daughters because he's around the house more than ever.

"One of my daughters has been in the process of picking colleges and I've visited some colleges with her so that's been great," said the native of Moosomin, Sask. "Just spending more time at the dinner table or more time with them on weekends has been an upside to the distraction of not playing."

The holidays were more enjoyable than ever for the coaches. They could actually relax.

"We had a great Christmas, we didn't have to rush the turkey dinner because I had to watch video at night to prepare the next day's game," said Hartley. "There was no rush for once."

Babcock brought his family home to Emma Lake, Sask., a first for the holidays.

"Home to the snow and 30-below, and snowmobiling, cutting your own Christmas tree, scraping the lake off and flooding the lake - doing things kids in California never get to do. So that was fantastic," said Babcock.

Hartley, meanwhile, is currently working on a special project in Atlanta.

"We're in the process of organizing a little World Cup tournament for squirt players (nine- and 10-year-olds) in April," said the native of Hawkesbury, Ont. "We have a team from Russia, a team from Hawkesbury, a team from Atlanta and a team from Florida coming. And more important than being a hockey tournament, it's going to be a cultural exchange."

He plans to run practices for the kids and mixing up the teams for the fun of it.

"So you'll see a little French kid from Hawkesbury centering a line with a little Russian left-winger and maybe a kid from Florida on right wing. I don't know how they'll communicate but they'll have to find a way. But I think it's something the kids will remember for the rest of their lives."

Cheers,
Aquaman

 

[Aquaman]

Hockey Lives Here: Canada's Game

TSN.ca Staff
1/13/2005

TORONTO - TSN announced Tuesday a special celebration dedicated to the country's great frozen game with Hockey Lives Here: Canada's Game, taking place Saturday, Feb. 19 from 12 noon to 6 p.m. ET. NHL Network, ESPN Classic Canada and TSN's French-language partner RDS will also televise hockey-themed shows and classic games as part of the special day.

The broadcast will feature hockey events and features from all over the country.

The 46th annual Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament from the Quebec Pepsi Coliseum is an 11-day tournament featuring 2,300 young hockey players from 16 countries. NHL greats Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, Guy Lafleur and Eric Lindros have all played in this tournament.

The fourth annual World Pond Hockey Championship from Plaster Rock, NB is a world invitational hockey tournament featuring 96 teams and is a true celebration of the game.

Catch a CIS men's hockey game from Thunder Bay featuring University of Western Ontario vs. Lakehead University.

A recap of the 2005 World Junior Hockey Championship will include all the goals, hits, shots, saves and Canada's dominance throughout the tournament en route to their first gold medal since 1997.

You can also watch various hockey features from across the country, such as Canadians playing in Europe, how to build a backyard rink, and Canada's women's national team as they prepare to defend their title at the Women's World Hockey Championship.

TSN's sports debate show Off the Record and hockey magazine program Molson That's Hockey will also be part of the special programming lineup.

Hockey Lives Here: Canada's Game will be anchored by TSN's hockey broadcast team including Pierre McGuire, Gord Miller, Bob McKenzie, James Duthie, Dave Hodge, Gino Reda, Dave Randorf, Glenn Healy and Brian Burke. The team will be joined by SportsCentre correspondents and CTV affiliates across the country.

ESPN Classic Canada will televise 24 hours of classic hockey on February 19, while NHL Network will also dedicate its entire programming day to the celebration of hockey in Canada. RDS will provide coverage in the French market.

Throughout the next month, TSN will announce additional details about Hockey Lives Here: Canada's Game as they become available.

Cheers,
Aquaman

 

[Aquaman]

No BOG meeting, and still no talks

Canadian Press
1/13/2005

Friday could have been an eventful day, perhaps even a major turning point in the NHL lockout, for better or for worse.

But with the cancellation of the NHL's board of governors meeting originally slated for Friday in New York, it will likely be more of the same: silence.

''In fairness, I'm not sure it was ever a big day,'' Bill Daly, the NHL's executive vice-president and chief legal officer, said Thursday from New York. ''A board of governors meeting wouldn't necessarily have impacted on the collective bargaining process. The only thing that's going to impact on the collective bargaining process is a meeting with the Players' Association.''

That hasn't happened since Dec. 14, when both sides rejected each other's proposals. And both sides continue to indicate they have no intention of picking up the phone to kick-start 11th-hour talks.

There continues to be whispers that the league is working on a new proposal, which the NHL continues to deny - for now.

''I can say that's not our current intention,'' Daly said. ''I'm not going to say anything beyond that. I'm certainly not going to rule anything out, and I never have throughout this process.''

Daly said the NHL is ready to negotiate at any time.

''From my perspective, if there are elements of our counter-proposal that are unacceptable to them or that they don't like, let's talk about them - let's get back to the negotiating table,'' Daly said. ''Let's discuss it.''

So why hasn't it happened?

''That's the question you're probably better to ask Bob and Ted,'' Daly said, referring to NHLPA executive director Bob Goodenow and NHLPA senior director Ted Saskin. ''They ended the last meeting and basically announced the lockout would continue. I don't control their response to our proposal.''

The union, of course, sees it quite differently. After offering a package that included a 24 per cent salary rollback on all existing player contracts, as well as other concessions, the union was insulted when the league responded with a salary cap, as well as restructuring the rollback to further penalize the higher-salaried players.

So as far as the union is concerned, it's for the league to pick up the phone when it's ready to consider the players' proposal.

The lockout has wiped out 618 games through Thursday, for the first time moving past the half-way mark of the schedule's 1,230 games. Saturday will mark four months to the day NHL commissioner Gary Bettman announced the lockout.

More fallout from the lockout came Thursday when the Boston Bruins announced reduced working hours for their staff. Effective Monday, Bruins employees will work a three-day work week, resulting in a 20 per cent pay cut.

''We have found it necessary to review our current work force as the volume of work has decreased due to the NHL work stoppage,'' Bruins president Harry Sinden said in a release.

''I hope that this situation will only be necessary for a short time period,'' added Sinden. ''We are also working with employees to find opportunities within related companies for part-time hours that will help ease these reductions.''

Other teams around the league have also reduced hours for their staff, and job losses will likely be next if the season is cancelled.

Former Atlanta Thrashers president Stan Kasten is hoping that won't happen. He sent a letter to Bettman and Goodenow on Wednesday proposing a possible solution to the impasse. His proposal went as follows:

''Bob Goodenow and the NHLPA should be allowed to address the entire membership of the NHL board of governors, face to face,'' Kasten wrote in his letter. ''He should be allowed to bring anyone he wants and make any presentation he wants on whatever offer he chooses to make. Presumably he would also be willing to answer any questions. This session would last as long as necessary.

''Gary Bettman and the NHL should be allowed to address the entire body of over 700 players of the NHL, face to face,'' continued Kasten, president of the Thrashers from 1999 to last year. ''He should be allowed to bring anyone he wants and make any presentation he wants on whatever offer he chooses to make. He would also stay to answer any questions the players may have for as long as necessary.

''Following the conclusion of both of these sessions, each side would allow its membership to vote on the other sides last proposal by secret ballot. Since each side will remain entitled to its own ratification procedures, and since there will no doubt be a need for additional negotiations subsequent to this vote, this vote will not be binding, but the vote totals should be made public.''

Kasten, who said he made the offer because he loves the sport, continues in his letter by admitting his suggestions ''are unorthodox, and perhaps even unprecedented. But our industry, which was sick before the lockout began, is now on life support. A patient on life support requires heroic measures. The players, owners and fans of the NHL, both in North America and around the world, deserve no less.''

The response from Goodenow and Bettman? Thanks, but no thanks.

At least they can agree on something.

Cheers,
Aquaman

 

[Aquaman]

Kasten pens lockout negotiation plan

TSN.ca Staff
1/12/2005

Former NHL executive Stan Kasten has done his part to try to accelerate the negotiation process between the NHL and NHLPA, writing an open letter to both sides asking them to return to the bargaining table.

Kasten, a key member of the Atlanta sports scene for more than a quarter century, was president of the Atlanta Thrashers, Hawks and Braves before stepping down in 2003.

The letter sent to both sides read as follows:

Gentlemen,

In what should be the most joyous time of the year, we stand, instead, facing the worst nightmare any hockey fan could have. What might have been once unthinkable now seems almost a certainty...the cancellation of an entire NHL season. To make matters worse, recent events have been accompanied by rumors, misrepresentations, and a fair amount of unflattering personal invective. I know this saddens each of you even more than it does the rest of us who love the NHL.

That is why I am today offering this proposal for your consideration. Obviously my three decades of involvement in sports business and collective bargaining negotiations has been exclusively on the management side, and my sympathies continue to lie there. Nevertheless, my call to each of you today is intended to be non-partisan, and so unlike the many other suggestions being circulated by various media outlets, I offer no view on any of the substantive matters which are currently the subject of negotiations. Nor do I call for the intercession of any mediator, arbitrator, politician or any other third party. My sole intention is to propose steps which the parties could take to enable them to reach agreement between themselves in time to salvage the season and avoid the ignominy of being the first professional sports league to lose an entire season to a labor dispute.

To that end, I propose the following:

1) Bob Goodenow and the NHLPA should be allowed to address the entire membership of the NHL Board of Governors, face to face. He should be allowed to bring anyone he wants and make any presentation he wants on whatever offer he chooses to make. Presumably he would also be willing to answer any questions. This session would last as long as necessary.

2) Gary Bettman and the NHL should be allowed to address the entire body of over 700 players of the NHL, face to face. He should be allowed to bring anyone he wants and make any presentation he wants on whatever offer he chooses to make. He would also stay to answer any questions the players may have for as long as necessary.

3) Following the conclusion of both of these sessions, each side would allow its membership to vote on the other sides last proposal by secret ballot. Since each side will remain entitled to its own ratification procedures, and since there will no doubt be a need for additional negotiations subsequent to this vote, this vote will not be binding, but the vote totals should be made public.

Doubtless, there will be a need for agreement between the parties on a host of ground rules to facilitate this proposal, such as timing, eligibility of attendees, etc, not to mention the logistics of the meetings. But this last-ditch effort will surely be worth the trouble. Nothing which happens after the cancellation of the season will be as good for the NHL as a resolution achieved collectively before such a cancellation.

I recognize that these suggestions are unorthodox, and perhaps even unprecedented. But our industry, which was sick before the lockout began , is now on life support. A patient on life support requires heroic measures. The players , owners and fans of the NHL, both in North America and around the world, deserves no less.

Good luck to you both.

Sincerely, Stan Kasten

Kasten was president of the Hawks since April 1986, president of the Braves since November 1986 and president of the Thrashers since 1999. He was the first person to serve as president of three major professional sports teams at the same time.

Cheers,
Aquaman

 

[Aquaman]

Report: NHLPA promotes Euro option

TSN.ca Staff
1/15/2005

Not that there has been any reason for optimism, but locked out NHL players are being told to expect that the current lockout has no end in sight.

According to a report in the Toronto Sun, NHLPA Executive Director Bob Goodenow has advised players not to count on NHL hockey this season or next.

The paper goes on on to say that Goodenow has, through an audio message on the association's website, told players that they should take any contracts that might be available in Europe either now or for next season.

NHL players have been locked out since September 14, and negotiations have been contentious to say the least. That is, when they've actually negotiated, and that hasn't happened since December 14, when each side rejected the other's proposals.

Over 300 NHLers are currently playing throughout Europe.

The Sun expects the NHL to make an offer next week, but obviously expectations are not high that it will lead to a resolution.

Cheers,
Aquaman

 

[Aquaman]

Lockout could force early retirements

Canadian Press
1/17/2005

(CP) - Picture an NHL without Mark Messier, Chris Chelios, Ron Francis, Al MacInnis, Dave Andreychuk, Brett Hull, Scott Stevens, Steve Yzerman and Luc Robitaille.

Oh, and Mario Lemieux.

Six of them are captains, and all of them have worn the `C' at one point in their careers.

Those are just some of the aging stars that may not be around if the NHL lockout wipes out this season and maybe next.

Time is running out to salvage a season this year. The NHL and NHL Players' Association haven't held meetings since Dec. 14 although there's talk something could happen this week.

In the meantime, a large group of veteran NHL players sit and wait. In all, there are 119 active NHLers who are 34 and older, their twilight years seriously affected if there's no hockey for up to two years.

Thanks to better conditioning and healthier lifestyles, some veteran players are stretching out their careers. The average age in the NHL last season was 27.9.

But not everyone can wait another year.

Messier, one of the game's all-time greats, turns 44 on Tuesday. Many thought he had played his last game last March 31, and not having hockey this year will likely make that a certainty.

''I would think the longer it goes the less chance probably of him playing,'' Douglas Messier, his father and agent, said from New York. ''I mean, if it goes another year ...

''He's just waiting, like everybody else, to see what happens,'' added the 68-year-old Messier. ''He hasn't been in a position yet where he had to make a decision in terms of playing or not playing because there's no hockey to make the decision on.''

If he's done, he leaves with his name all over the record book: Second all-time in regular-season points (1,887), second all-time in regular-season games played (1,756), seventh all-time in regular-season goals (694), third all-time in regular-season assists (1,193), second all-time in playoff goals (109), playoff assists (186) and playoff points (295).

The six-time Stanley Cup winner may not get a chance to add to those totals.

''I think for Mark, and for a lot of people in that (age) category, they may have played their last game in the National Hockey League depending on what happens,'' said Douglas Messier.

Chelios will perhaps follow Messier into retirement if the lockout cancels this whole season. The Chicago native and three-time Norris Trophy winner turns 43 on Jan. 25.

Francis will be 42 on March 1. Like Messier and Chelios, he's an unrestricted free agent, waiting to see what happens before he makes a decision. If he's done, he leaves the game second all-time in regular-season assists (1,249) and fourth in points (1,850).

The 41-year-old MacInnis played only three games last season for the St. Louis Blues after suffering a serious eye injury in a game against Nashville. One of his era's top offensive wizards, armed with the game's most dangerous slap shot, he also doesn't have a contract. He's third all-time in goals scored by defenceman with 340 and would be sorely missed as a player who had insightful thoughts on the game's big issues.

Andreychuk, 41, re-signed with Tampa Bay for this season at $1.8 million US but he may not see a dime of it. He's the game's all-time leader in regular-season power-play goals with 270. Whether he plays again or not, he finally got his Stanley Cup ring last spring with the Lightning.

''David still wants to play, I can tell you that,'' his agent Rollie Thompson said Monday while en route to Vancouver for the Top Prospects game. ''He's like anybody else, he has to keep going or else his pipes are going to get rusty. When you get to be his age, do they start to rust up a little quicker?''

The 40-year-old Hull has no intentions of leaving the game anytime soon, signing a two-year, $4.5-million deal with the Phoenix Coyotes last summer. But if the lockout goes two years ... he'll be at least 42 when the game resumes.

Hull won't go out easily. He needs 61 goals to pass Gordie Howe and move into second place on the NHL's all-time regulars-season goal-scoring list behind Wayne Gretzky.

Stevens, 40, was limited to 38 games last season with the New Jersey Devils because of a serious concussion. He indicated last season that if a lockout wiped out all of this year that would maybe influence his decision regarding retirement.

Stevens, first all-time among defencemen in regular-season games played (1,635), was slated to earn $6.916 million this season, the last year of his deal.

Super Mario will hit the 40 club next fall, when hockey may still not be back. The owner/superstar insists he plans on playing into his 40s barring any health problems, but there's no guarantee.

Will we see 39-year-old Steve Yzerman back on the ice? A three-time Stanley Cup champion and Olympic gold medallist, the Detroit Red Wings captain once again showed his character when he came back last season to play 75 games after recovering from serious knee surgery.

Yzerman, sixth all-time in regular-season points (1,721), signed a one-year, $4.5-million deal on Sept. 14, a contract that has yet to yield a paycheque.

Robitaille, who turns 39 on Feb. 17, had a year left on his deal at $1.5 million with the Los Angeles Kings this season. He doesn't sound like he'll be back if there's no hockey this year.

''It would be hard to play again a year later,'' Robitaille, 10th all-time with 653 regular-season goals, told the Los Angeles Times last season.

Cheers,
Aquaman

 

[Aquaman]

Agents looking at Europe for next year

Canadian Press
1/17/2005

(CP) - Forget this year. Some NHL agents are already looking at getting deals in Europe for their clients next season.

''We're at the point where we can't be sure there's going to be an NHL season next year so we're already taking steps to place our players and make them available for the early training camps in Europe,'' agent Rick Curran said Monday from Philadelphia.

While players have all summer to sign on in Europe, Curran said he wants to take care of his clients as soon as possible to get the best fit for them.

After all, it's doubtful all 730 NHL players will be able to find jobs in Europe for next season, given some of the import rules in the different leagues.

''There's probably going to be a lot more elite players looking for jobs than last summer,'' agent J.P. Barry said Monday from Calgary. ''And like everything else, it's a competitive market place. They're (European clubs) going to look at the skilled players so you have to be out there early.''

Outside of a few lucrative deals in Russia, the money in Europe isn't nearly as good, but it's top-level hockey and that's what some players are looking for.

There haven't been any signings yet for next season but Barry said the seed is being planted for future deals.

''There's been a lot of talk, a lot of it advance talk,'' said Barry, who met with several European club GMs during IMG's Worldstars tour in December. ''I think April is when most teams really start looking aggressively at their signings. So that's coming around the corner, you have to start making plans. And I think someone will jump out in the lead.''

Barry appears to be right.

''We've already had talks with several teams,'' agent Kurt Overhardt said Monday from Chicago. ''Especially in the case of Brendan Morrison and Mike Knuble, they've done so well with Linkoping (Sweden) that there have been teams from almost every league saying: `Hey, if they're going to come back to Europe, we definitely want a chance to get them.'''

For now, teams in Europe are still more focused on this season. The transfer deadline for most leagues in Europe is at the end of the month or the first week of February, so more NHLers may sign if the NHL season is cancelled soon.

''Nobody has contacted us to date for next year although there are more and more players getting in line for jobs over here this year,'' Lugano head coach Larry Huras said in an e-mail from Switzerland.

Case in point: Huras said Colorado Avalanche star Alex Tanguay will return to Lugano this week after leaving the team earlier this season.

Not all agents are already looking at Europe for next year.

''It's too early,'' agent Mike Liut said Monday from Bloomfield Hills, Mich. ''I'd be hard-pressed to think that anybody has committed their players to play in Europe next year, such that they would provide a European team with an exclusive contract.''

Most NHL players, especially the high-end players, will once again demand a lockout clause in Europe, which the majority of them had this season - just in case the NHL resumes.

Barry's IMG group had close to 30 players signing in Europe this season, the likes of Joe Thornton (Switzerland), Daniel Briere (Switzerland), Rick Nash (Switzerland), Sergei Gonchar (Russia), Jaromir Jagr Russia), Daniel Cleary (Sweden), Shawn Horcoff (Sweden) and Nick Shultz (Germany).

''Some teams have already talked about our guys that have worked out really well and wanting to keep them for next year,'' Barry said.

The NHLers who will have played a whole season in Europe will get the most interest, said Overhardt.

''When you get players that have gone over and proven they're committed, I think there's a lot more value to those players,'' he said. ''It's less of a risk for those teams.''

Of course, all that will be for nought if the NHL somehow resumes in the next few weeks. The NHL and NHL Players' Association haven't held talks since Dec. 14 although there's talk something could happen this week.

Unless a new collective bargaining agreement can be reached, the focus will remain on Europe. The International Ice Hockey Federation - which rubber-stamps all NHL transfers to European clubs - reports that 344 NHL players have signed deals in Europe this season, although some of them have since returned home.

NHLPA executive director Bob Goodenow last week reminded players in a taped audio message on the union's secure website to look to Europe as a viable option, both now and next year.

''They have encouraged guys to go to Europe since September, so he just reiterated that,'' an NHL player who requested anonymity said Monday. ''He just reminded players who haven't gone over that's it's not a bad idea. But it wasn't a big deal, it was just an update.

''People are making too much of a big deal out of it.''

Said NHLPA senior director Ted Saskin: ''No change in message from Bob with respect to Europe: We've always told our members that given the league's fixation on a salary cap system and refusal to negotiate anything else at this point in time, it's prudent for players to continue to look at other playing options for this season and next season.''

Cheers,
Aquaman

 

[rh71]

Originally posted by: Aquaman
Lockout could force early retirements

So how old does Trevor Linden turn ? :|

 

[Aquaman]

Originally posted by: rh71

Originally posted by: Aquaman
Lockout could force early retirements

So how old does Trevor Linden turn ? :|

Same age as Mike Modano.

Cheers,
Aquaman

 

[Insane3D]

Originally posted by: rh71
I wonder what Trevor Linden has to say about that..

Originally posted by: Aquaman
Modano clarifies quotes on lockout

TSN.ca Staff
1/12/2005

Dallas Stars centre Mike Modano clarified his quotes made in Wednesday's National Post, saying his remarks on the players' resolve on the NHL lockout were taken out of context.

"I think it was a little misconstrued and misquoted," he told TSN on Wednesday. "I think that whole clip was a little turned around, I talked to the fellow for a while last night, there were some things said that led to that result of 'us cracking,' but I really can't see that happening. Our guys have stayed strong, they have stuck together...the future of the game relies on that."

According to the story in the Post, Modano felt the players might not last through a lost season.
"It's going to be tough to come back in October and say that we're going to stay tough and stand firm. You're going to have guys who are saying, 'What are we doing?'" Modano was quoted telling the paper. "You're going to have guys chomping at the bit to get a deal done."

The 15-year NHL veteran explained that what was printed was open to interpretation.

"I think what was read yesterday could be twisted and turned and understood in many different ways," Modano told TSN.

"We're still very unified...our unity has become much stronger over the past four to five months. From what we've read from owners and from (NHL commissioner) Gary Bettman questioning our unity, it's something they shouldn't try doing."

According to the Post, Modano - who stands to lose $9 million US in salary this season - said that if the lockout isn't resolved by the scheduled start of next season, players will be desperate to start earning NHL-level salaries again.

Modano elaborated on the quotes, explaining that the players' resolve will be tested but would ultimately last.

"I think it will," Modano told TSN. "Deep down there may be a lot of guys questioning that, but I think in the long run we've grown to be very strong. We've put a lot of trust in our union and our negotiating committee and we have the upmost respect for Bob Goodenow and the decisions he has helped us make as a union.

"If it does come down to the fall, I do think some of the guys will feel nervous and wanting to play, but they'll want to play under the right circumstances."

Cheers,
Aquaman

Read...Trevor called and told me to say this... :roll: :frown:

 

[Insane3D]

Originally posted by: SampSon
Whenever a NHL player opens their mouth all I ever hear coming out is "wah wah wah, cry cry cry".

Pretty much...:|

 

[Aquaman]

McKenzie: Linden, Hotchkiss get their turn

TSN.ca Staff
1/17/2005

After weeks of silence between the NHL and NHL Players' Association, we have some noise on the labour front, albeit white noise.

We're going to call it a discussion or a talk. We're not going to call it a negotiating session because there's no guarantee that the two sides will be negotiating.

At an undisclosed location on Wednesday, the lieutenants of this 'NHL Cold War' will be meeting.

Attending this gathering on behalf of the league will be NHL Vice President and Chief Legal Officer Bill Daly, Chairman of the Board of Governors Harley Hotchkiss and labour lawyer Bob Batterman.

Representing the Players' Association will be NHLPA Senior Director Ted Saskin, President Trevor Linden, and labour lawyer John McCambridge.

From what we've been led to believe, it was Linden who really pushed for this meeting and wants to find out if there's any common ground at all to try to save this season.

There will be no participation on the part of NHL commissioner Gary Bettman or NHLPA Executive Director Bob Goodenow. That could be important in the sense that you won't get any butting of heads with the two of them in the same room.

Now if the relationship between Bettman and Goodenow is as bad as many believe, perhaps this makes a case for both Linden and Hotchkiss to air things out with a lot less acrimony.

Linden will be able to sit across from Hotchkiss and ask, 'are you really on side with what Bettman wants to do?'

At the other end of the table, Hotchkiss will be able to do the same - look across at Linden and ask, 'are you really on side with what Goodenow wants to do?'

If nothing else, the two sides may come out of this meeting polarized, but at least feel better about it.

Cheers,
Aquaman