So, We Are Close To Playing Hockey...

Looks like a 48-50 game sprint, which should be really cool... and the HQ also hopes all playoff series are Best-of-7's...

We're glad all the daily and office employees get some paychecks this season, and we know the players and owners still won't learn from their example...

Here are the glossed-over details...

The cap stays where it is this season with a slightly lower floor (US$4M less). The longest length of a new player contract is 8 years. If it's a free agency shift, it's seven. There's new look for revenue sharing, a three-step process for discipline, and no realignment this season.

So, the HQ decided to take a tour as to local responses...

Buffalo...
((HT: WIVB-TV))

Tentative deal made to end NHL lockout

The Kontinental Hockey League was a safe out for NHL'ers who wanted to play while the discussions were ongoing over here. Pittsburgh's Evgeni Malkin (Metallurg Magnitogorsk), Washington's Alex Ovechkin (Dynamo Moscow) and New Jersey's Ilya Kovalchuk (SKA St. Petersburg) were among the top-five in the KHL's scoring leaders. CSNWashington caught up with Jason Chimera- who wants to get back to work... Bruins teammates Patrice Bergeron and Tyler Seguin and Ottawa's Jason Spezza all chose to play in Switzerland, but decided to return to Canada after the Spengler Cup. Boston and Philadelphia led NHL teams with 11 players each who played in Europe, while Ottawa and the New York Islanders had 10 and Montreal had eight. In Philadelphia, fans are ready to get back to wearing their orange and black... ((HT: WPVI-TV)) Most NHL players signed contracts that gave them an out to come back here to North America if and/or when the lockout ended. Some played for, basically, tips and a heavy insurance policy. Montreal's Tomas Plekanec as an example, earns US$5 million a year, and played in the Czech Republic for the salary the equivalent of five cents on the dollar... Brave dude... The HockeyCentral guys reflect on Gary Bettman's legacy... The HQ would like to know what positives can come out of his tenure...

So, Are We Close To Playing Hockey Or Not...???

((HT: Sportsnet.ca))

That's the question...

Here's the double-stack discussion...

What say you, faithful reader...???

DEVELOPING: NHL Offers New Proposal As Clock Ticks

((HT: Sportsnet.ca))

The National Hockey League is in, what "Puck Daddy" is calling, Day 104 of Stupid...

And he's right...

But, during a traditional time of not doing anything, someone did something...

The NHL has presented a new proposal to the Players' Association.

The league's offer, apparently, calls for player contract limits of six years- boosting the max length by all of one year...

Teams can also, in the new idea, buy out one guy on their roster outright- which is similar to the move in the NBA for really overpriced contracts for players who are either old, underperform, or both... but it still would count against the revenue share...

There are no plans for the two sides to meet, and it's been two weeks since both sides sat down at the same table to break bread (or each other's skulls).

Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun is saying that "sources" are wanting to open camp on January 12th, but Michael Grange, through his Twitter sayeth quote:

It is really hard to take seriously that the latest proposal from #NHL as 'movement' -- two sides have been inches apart for months

The guys from Sportsnet and "Hockey Central" discuss the drop-dead date for the season and the lack of urgency from both sides in the whole deal...

Here's Daren, Mayday, and Nick...
Bill Daly gave out this statement early this afternoon: "In light of media reports this morning, I can confirm that we delivered to the Union a new, comprehensive proposal for a successor CBA late yesterday afternoon. We are not prepared to discuss the details of our proposal at this time. We are hopeful that once the Union's staff and negotiating committee have had an opportunity to thoroughly review and consider our new proposal, they will share it with the players. We want to be back on the ice as soon as possible."

DEVELOPING: NHL Set To Cancel Winter Classic...

((HT: Sportsnet))

According to Sportsnet's Nick Kypreos and his Twitter feed, the NHL is going to choke its golden goose and cancel the Winter Classic- scheduled for the Big House in Ann Arbor, Michigan on New Year's Day as well as associated events at Comerica Park...

Sources saying sponsors r being notified the #NHL Winter classic gm' will be cancelled. An official announcement coming as early as 2pm est

The crowd expected for the game was expected to surpass all attendance records for a hockey event...

The HQ would LOVE to see how the league is going to explain this one off the books...
And the HQ would like to congratulate all parties involved on their mangling of the labor issue and the associative Pee-Ahr nightmare...

More when we know more...

#WeLoveHockey Flashmob Hits Malls Now...

((HT: Sportsnet))

This is a cute initiative set forth by the network to get people reminiscing about the good times up north...

Mainly, when hockey wasn't on strike...

So, what happens when a flash mob of hockey players hits a mall...???
Evidence below...

Cute idea... we just wonder how many people feel jilted about the whole thing...
And we also know that the more the two sides bicker, the more they become irrelevant- especially, when the cancellation of the Winter Classic is on the horizon. And if that happens, you can probably kiss the whole season good-bye...

Again...
Sadly...

No NHL Agreement: Now What...??? Probably, Not Much...

((HT: Sportsnet))

Not that it's a shock or anything...

But the NHLPA put out three alternate proposals to the one that the league and the league owners released- detailing their idea of a 50-50 proposal to the players.

And the owners didn't like any of the three...

So, now what...???

Well, first, the league has cancelled any idea of regular season games through November 1st.

Sportsnet's Christine Simpson and Michael Grange discuss...
The Phoenix Coyotes' Paul Bissonette reacted on his Twitter: For you confused fans. Players will take a 50/50 split. The players will agree to that if owners honor all existing contracts. It's simple. Apparently, it's not that simple... Kyle Okposo lays it out this way: We ask for 50/50 split and to honor existing contracts and Gary says we aren't in the same ball park yet they claim in their proposal a 50/50 split and no rollback

NHL Cancels first 3 weeks of season. NFL fans ask "The Who?"

What again is that old joke about bears and pooping in the woods?

The NHL continues extending its lockout of players by announcing Thursday afternoon the first 3 weeks of the 2012-13 season have been cancelled.

In case you missed it (and many have); the NHL has locked out it's players for the 2nd time in the past seven years. And the reasons for it are several.

One: The league's owners are losing money. Hockey doesn't have a "Big" TV deal like the NFL, the NBA...or MLB. But they do have a deal.

Two: That money is split like all other sports. Only in hockey, it's more disproportionate. The players get 57% of it, the owners, the rest. (Negotiated in 2005)

Yes, we know there's more minutiae than than that, but that would bore you.

Who's to blame for this?

More like who isn't.

The NHL in theory had a great idea in their last agreement, which was supposed to cap...and limit salaries.

That didn't last very long.

The bottom end required for salary control, is roughly what the top end of the cap was just a few years ago. Somewhere around $50 million.

Not everyone can afford that. And arguably only a handful of NHL teams can afford that.

Who is to blame: In large part, the owners are to blame here, because they created this mess. It's hard to blame players for taking millions of dollars if they are offered.

So NHL fan, you sit at stalemate. And with a good chance of not seeing your sport this year. Unless you want to go to the minors, which, quite honestly, not such a bad thing.

The NHL Lockout is serious: The Panthers lay off Stanley C. Panther

((ht: george richards))

Poor Stanley

Poor Stanley C. Panther. He along was laid off today in a "Cost Cutting" move by the Florida Panthers hockey team.

In case you didn't know: The NHL is in a lockout. Again.

Yeah, we were surprised to hear that too.

So...if the NHL had a lockout and nobody knew it, did it really happen?

Unfortunately in this case, yes.

We use the Panthers as an example: The team is locked out, not able to use the Panthers facility. Unless they rent the ice.

Seriously. they are renting out a side locker room and ice time at their practice facility to their players so they can work out.

Confused?

We aren't taking sides here, but Gary Bettman and his owners should realize they are going to fade into obscurity this time. They know that...right?

The league, which has struggled to regain it's popularity had its best TV ratings in decades this past year. This was after not having a TV deal for years. They were buying time on NBC, and then NBC finally started paying them.

And they still went on strike.

Stanley Panther will survive. And so will the players. They'll go to Europe or the minor leagues and play. The owners will sit and wait for an agreement to happen. And maybe it will.

But if they don't play in 2012-13, they will lose their audience. All of it. Yeah, sure, the transplanted Canadians might watch, but most all of the U.S audience won't miss them. We won't miss them. Well, Brother Jon and Brother Wilkie might, but I won't. I didn't follow hockey last year because Atlanta lost the Thrashers. There are no other teams I'm interested in.

We think most U.S viewers will just slide over to the NFL or the NBA and that will be that. But we could be wrong.