Booche Posted December 16, 2011 Report Share Posted December 16, 2011 (edited) Ken Dryden makes a plea to Bettman regarding concussions. Edited December 16, 2011 by Guest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hal Johnson Posted December 16, 2011 Report Share Posted December 16, 2011 Aha, your links reminded me that the new installment of 24/7 has started. I only caught the last 15 minutes of the first episode, but it looks like it has the potential to live up to last year's program.http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/7356632/the-hidden-drama-hbo-24-7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Booche Posted December 16, 2011 Report Share Posted December 16, 2011 Read that Ken Dryden article. Its fucking great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hal Johnson Posted December 16, 2011 Report Share Posted December 16, 2011 I did, it is great. Grantland's kickin' ass. Looking forward to listening to the Simmons podcast with Louis CK too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Low Roller Posted December 18, 2011 Report Share Posted December 18, 2011 Lucic delivers questionable hit, laughs it off knowing full well that Bruins don't get suspended Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Booche Posted December 20, 2011 Report Share Posted December 20, 2011 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Low Roller Posted December 20, 2011 Report Share Posted December 20, 2011 Ohmyfuck. That is so great that I am in tears.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hal Johnson Posted December 22, 2011 Report Share Posted December 22, 2011 This one is for Low Roller:http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy/post/Martin-Havlat-8217-s-line-change-freak-injury-c;_ylt=AsG0mzoy41R1qURRcOj9nux7vLYF?urn=nhl-wp20502(btw, anyone else unable to "switch to full reply" to post vids and stuff?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Low Roller Posted December 22, 2011 Report Share Posted December 22, 2011 That's awesome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Booche Posted December 23, 2011 Report Share Posted December 23, 2011 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kanada Kev Posted December 24, 2011 Report Share Posted December 24, 2011 ^^^^^^^^^^ Too funny Much like the Sharks one from last year: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Booche Posted December 24, 2011 Report Share Posted December 24, 2011 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ollie Posted January 1, 2012 Report Share Posted January 1, 2012 The Winter Classic is on the 2nd this year? WTF?! I woke up way too early for this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Booche Posted January 7, 2012 Report Share Posted January 7, 2012 Donald Fehr'dFuckingassholes. There will be no realignment for the 2012-13 season in the NHL as the Players Association has vetoed the proposed change.The NHL approved the realignment a month ago and gave the NHLPA a Janaury 6 deadline to approve it. The Association had a couple of worries including increased travel and the unbalanced conferences that had seven teams in two conferences and eight teams in the other two. The NHL did not satisfy the demands of the players so the deadline came and went. The NHL will now likely look at other options to get approval. "We believe the union acted unreasonably in violation of the league’s rights," NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said. "We intend to evaluate all of our available legal options and to pursue adequate remedies, as appropriate." Stay tuned as this is far from over. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Low Roller Posted January 7, 2012 Report Share Posted January 7, 2012 Fucking union. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ollie Posted January 7, 2012 Report Share Posted January 7, 2012 Good. I hate the realignment plan. Just move Winnipeg to the west and move another team east. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Booche Posted January 7, 2012 Report Share Posted January 7, 2012 (edited) Glad you think it is so simple but in the grand scheme of things, I dont believe this has anything to do with realignment. This is a power maneuver. Enjoy the impending work stoppage Ollie. Edited January 7, 2012 by Guest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AD Posted January 7, 2012 Report Share Posted January 7, 2012 The realignment plan, regardless of the union or management or whatever, gave some teams an advantage right off the bat, and gave some teams a disadvantage right off the bat. Nobody wants that. Right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Booche Posted January 7, 2012 Report Share Posted January 7, 2012 The NHL Board Of Govenors obviously wanted it. I thought the NHL nailed it. They had left the door open for the Phoenix issue as well as possible expansion to the east if necessary not to mention how radical the playoff structure was looking. Hopefully they will keep that aspect of it. Fuck the NHLPA. I am still sick of the shit from the last lockout (although I cant remember much of it at the moment but it infuriated me at the time) and now this bullshit. It seems clear as day to me that this is posturing for the summer. I'm getting my drink on. You are handsome AD. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rubberdinghy Posted January 8, 2012 Report Share Posted January 8, 2012 Man...it's like bargaining with the City of Ottawa. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rubberdinghy Posted January 8, 2012 Report Share Posted January 8, 2012 omg...MIKE GREEN OUT ALREADY! The two highest players on my keeper team...Crosby, GreenFML Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Booche Posted January 9, 2012 Report Share Posted January 9, 2012 Oh, to be a fly on the wall when Gary Bettman and Donald Fehr, along with their lawyers, sit across the table to discuss a new collective agreement.All the more in view of the stunning announcement on Friday that the National Hockey League is shelving plans for the massive realignment it had agreed upon for next season following the NHLPA's refusal to agree to the changes.The NHL, as you know, announced in early December that it planned to switch from two three-division conferences to four seven-or eight-team conferences. At the time, there was no reaction from the players' man. On Friday, Fehr told Bettman and the owners – who had agreed to realignment by a 26-4 margin – to shove it.Fehr insists the players made the decision, but the executive director's fingerprints are all over it - prompting this heated response from NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly:"We believe the union acted unreasonably in violation of the league's rights. We intend to evaluate all of our available legal options and to pursue adequate remedies, as appropriate."It is unfortunate that the NHLPA has unreasonably refused to approve a plan that an overwhelming majority of our clubs voted to support, and that has received such widespread support from our fans and other members of the hockey community, including players."Fehr released this statement following the announcement:"As realignment affects players' terms and conditions of employment, the CBA requires the league to obtain the NHLPA's consent before implementation. Over the last month, we have had several discussions with the league and extensive dialogue with players, most recently on an executive board conference call on Jan. 1. Two substantial player concerns emerged: whether the new structure would result in increased and more onerous travel; and the disparity in chances of making the playoffs between the smaller and larger divisions."In order to evaluate the effect on travel of the proposed new structure, we requested a draft or sample 2012-13 schedule, showing travel per team. We were advised it was not possible for the league to do that. We also suggested reaching an agreement on scheduling conditions to somewhat alleviate player travel concerns - but the league did not want to enter into such a dialogue."As you know, the players hired Fehr last year. The longtime leader of the Major League Baseball Players' Association took the job because he relished the challenge of rebuilding the hockey organization. He went back to the very basics – teaching the players how a union is supposed to work. He had to do that before he could teach them how to stand up for themselves."The players made an awful lot of concessions in the last agreement," Fehr said of the current CBA. "It's pretty hard to see them being willing to do that again."So imagine, if you can, the arm wrestling likely to take place when the two sides decide how to split the revenues of a $3-billion business. The players currently receive 57 per cent, the owners want to shave that to 50 per cent.What we have here is the opening salvo by the NHLPA, which is certain to become a tug of war between Bettman and Fehr.The NHL's decision to put a new face on the league was decided at a meeting of the owners, but the reality is that the deck was stacked long before the board of governors agreed to the change. The realignment was Bettman's idea, and you can be sure he had the votes he needed long before the meeting took place. At the time, there was no reason to believe it would be vetoed by the players, who wouldn't think of doing it unless Fehr insisted on it.Comments from several of the player reps suggested they were "prepared for the realignment, but weren't given every bit of information regarding it."Another argument was that the realignment called for more travel, which meant "being away from the families more."(I have yet to hear a word of complaint from players whose teams open their training camps and first couple of regular-season games in Europe.)"We were prepared for the realignment from the NHL, but we weren't given every bit of information regarding it," Florida Panthers player rep Mike Weaver said. "How can you make an educated decision without all the proper information?"We asked for the reasoning and that reasoning was not produced. They were not open to discussions about it." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Booche Posted January 9, 2012 Report Share Posted January 9, 2012 Here's another perspective and one I hadnt considered. Now I hate everyone:The NHLPA’s rejection of the league’s realignment plan has given rise to fears another lengthy work stoppage is on the horizon, but are those concerns truly justified?Friday’s rejection by the NHLPA of the NHL’s realignment plan is considered by many pundits and bloggers to be “the opening salvo†of what’s expected to be another round of contentious CBA negotiations, possibly leading to another lengthy work stoppage via lockout or players strike.The game is afoot between Fehr and Bettman.This consternation is understandable. The “nuclear winter†that was the NHL lockout of 2004-05 was an emotional, nasty experience none of us wish to go through again.It’s important, however to step back, take a breath, and put this into the proper context.Puck Daddy’s Greg Wyshynski observed the realignment plan was “a grandiose power play against the playersâ€.When the NHL introduced the realignment plan, it was believed its implementation was a fait accompli. It’s swift approval by the league Board of Governors last month were surprising moves from a traditionally conservative-minded bunch usually resistant to bold changes to their product.No one expected the PA, having the right under the terms of the CBA to review and approve or disapprove such a plan, to make an issue over such a popular change to the current divisional system.As always, when it comes to interaction between the league and the PA, things are never quite as they seem.Wyshynski points out league commissioner Gary Bettman was using this plan to push new NHLPA executive director Donald Fehr for the first time, “probing the defenses†of the PA to determine their course of action.PA director Fehr pushed back, rejecting the plan because the players weren’t given an opportunity to contribute to its creation whilst the league seemed dismissive of their concerns, and demonstrating the PA isn’t going to just accept anything the league forced upon them.Fehr indicated for several weeks the PA had some issues with the proposed realignment plan, and wanted to meet with the league brain trust to discuss them, but was virtually ignored, not just by the league, but also the media.The PA doesn’t seem to have much leverage in the upcoming CBA talks, but Fehr quickly seized the opportunity to use realignment as a leverage tool.Wyshynski and Erin Nolen of “Defending Big D†point out this was a PR move by the league, designed to put Fehr and the NHLPA into a “no-win†situation.The PA either accepted the league’s realignment plan without question, signalling to the league they were vulnerable to such aggressive tactics in the upcoming CBA negotiations, or rejected it and face the widespread disapproval of fans and media skittish about another work stoppage.Either way, it’s a PR win for the NHL. A nice bit of strategy on Bettman’s part.The NHLPA has never won the PR war with the league during labor talks, and never will. It’s too easy for the league to demonize the players as misguided, naive greedheads, whose union leaders are more interested in their own self-interests than “the good of the gameâ€.By announcing the rejection of the realignment plan, Fehr – a seasoned sports labor negotiator – understood how this would go down.The PA’s rejection of the plan is being met largely with scorn and dismay, but it’s also small potatoes in the grand scheme of things.Notice the league didn’t abandon the realignment plan outright in the wake of the PA’s rejection?Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said it simply couldn’t be implemented in time for next season. Obviously this will be brought up again during the upcoming CBA talks, where it will probably receive approval by the PA once the other, more important labor issues (escrow, salaries, guaranteed contracts, arbitration rights, free agent eligibility, continuation of tying the salary cap to revenue) are addressed.Rejecting the realignment plan is only going to inconvenience a few teams for one more season, without doing any significant, lasting damage to the league. Fans, bloggers and pundits can rail against it, but ultimately, it’s much ado about nothing.Those proclaiming Fehr is merely engaging in petty politics, or attempting to play chicken with the league, are missing the broader picture.This is simply public posturing by both sides, a bit of negotiating gamesmanship before the main event. Sure, it indicates the next round of CBA talks won’t be a stroll in the park, but only the most naive would’ve assumed that in the first place. Folks shouldn’t leap to conclusions and assume it’s a portent of doom before the CBA negotiations have even begun.New Jersey Devils goalie Martin Brodeur, voicing his approval of Fehr in a recent interview, said, ““We all know we can’t have another stoppage,†he said. “Both sides know that.†Good to remember in the coming weeks and months when the negotiations ramp up and coverage by the mainstream and social media intensifies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Low Roller Posted January 9, 2012 Report Share Posted January 9, 2012 CBJ fired their coach and put another sacrificial lamb in his place.@WinterLions said: CBJ coach Arniel was guilty of acquiring $58M Carter, signing $33M Wisniewski, abandoning Nash... Oh, wait a minute... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Low Roller Posted January 9, 2012 Report Share Posted January 9, 2012 @WinterLions: Always fun to see Julien & Vigneault go at it. Like a preview of L'antichambre 2015.This guy is hilarious. Everyone with Twitter should be following him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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