Lockout

[offsides]

Well, this made my day and they even got a deal with around 5 days to spare before the drop dead date. What is up with that??

[PensFanInDC]

Well....im no longer cancelling cable...

[no name]

* Contract variance cannot exceed 35% from year to year or 50% over any two year period of the deal.

That is a lot different than "the last year can't vary more than 50% from the first"... don't think I like that if it's true.

I am reading its the latter, the highest year of money can't drop lower than 50% SO if the highest year is 7 million the lowest it can drop is 50%, i really hope its that one.

Heard later on today the schedule and how many games will be made up.

[tfrizz]

* Contract variance cannot exceed 35% from year to year or 50% over any two year period of the deal.

That is a lot different than "the last year can't vary more than 50% from the first"... don't think I like that if it's true.

I am reading its the latter, the highest year of money can't drop lower than 50% SO if the highest year is 7 million the lowest it can drop is 50%, i really hope its that one.

Heard later on today the schedule and how many games will be made up.

Correct. Can't change by more than 35% from year to year and the lowest year can't be less than 50% of the highest year.

[nocera]

Will there be trades this year?

[Sarcastic]

I like the 50% variance. I think the league got what it wanted.

[GreenBlood10]

This is great! We get to get back to what really matters; hating Paul Martin.

GB

[ulf]

It is very convenient that they will start playing right after I finish my CPA exam :) all those games I would have had to miss due to studying. I would have been an angry man.

[penny lane]

Scot Beckenbaugh will live in NHL lore. He's the federal mediator who led the negotiations the last two days and guided the sides to a settlement

^ free ticket; any game, any arena!

[Idoit40fans]

This is great! We get to get back to what really matters; hating Paul Martin.

GB

The hatred never wen away. Pop

[bhaw]

This is great! We get to get back to what really matters; hating Paul Martin.

GB

The hatred never wen away. Pop

Paul Martin made you forget the "t"

[shmenguin]

This is great! We get to get back to what really matters; hating Paul Martin.

GB

The hatred never wen away. Pop

Paul Martin made you forget the "t"

Which is ironic since its the "D" that Martin usually forgets.

Eh? Eh?

[bhaw]

Free Center Ice would be nice, but if they had a really good PR department, the NHL and teams would provide a code where a fan could get a severely discounted ticket to any game they could find open seats for to get them back out. I'm talking like $5 plus free hot dog and a drink. I doubt they would ever do this, but that's how you get the casual person who is "meh" right now to do it just because it's so cheap and make them remember why they liked hockey to begin with. Obviously some cities would be harder to get tickets than others, but get more fans in the seats.

The PR spin would also be to show the "packed" arenas every night and how the fans are "truly the best."

[bhaw]

This is great! We get to get back to what really matters; hating Paul Martin.

GB

The hatred never wen away. Pop

Paul Martin made you forget the "t"

Which is ironic since its the "D" that Martin usually forgets.

Eh? Eh?

[FreeCandy44]

Well....im no longer cancelling cable...

Welcome back brother. ;)

[offsides]

Is the first REAL practice for this season on Monday?

[no name]

Are the new division alignments starting this season?

No. And you say "the new division alignments" as if they exist...they do not. Some suggest that Winnipeg will remain in the east not only this year, but also next. We'll see about that...but at least this season, no change, AIUI...

the owners had them realigned but then the PA shot them down during last season- i wasnt sure if that was part of the new CBA. Has anyone heard anything concrete about season start date?

I read a few weeks ago Winnipeg and Columbus will swap place, 2 confrences 3 division each for this season. Home and away vs outer confrence teams, 7 games vs interdivision for this season,

heard nothing about them moving to 4 confrences for next season but i really hope they do.

[mikey287]

Are the new division alignments starting this season?

No. And you say "the new division alignments" as if they exist...they do not. Some suggest that Winnipeg will remain in the east not only this year, but also next. We'll see about that...but at least this season, no change, AIUI...

the owners had them realigned but then the PA shot them down during last season- i wasnt sure if that was part of the new CBA. Has anyone heard anything concrete about season start date?

I read a few weeks ago Winnipeg and Columbus will swap place

Not true, at least not right now.

[Sarcastic]

Free NHL Center Ice probably won't happen
http://www.sbnation.com/2013/1/6/3843108/why-free-center-ice-simply-cant-happen

A nice thought, but it's not possible, you guys. The NHL doesn't have full ownership of the package. A company called inDEMAND -- which runs similar packages for the NBA, MLB and MLS -- does. They would need the approval of literally every cable and satellite company that runs the package -- everyone from DIRECTV to Comcast -- to make it happen, as inDEMAND and the cable companies all want a piece of those pricey subscriber fees. A discount? Perhaps. A free season of Center Ice? Logistically impossible.

The NHL does, however, have more power over its GameCenter Live application, which could mean a deeply discounted, if not free, season of that. I imagine the league probably doesn't want to make Center Ice a completely useless option for fans with access to a computer (there are many of those, I hear!) so they might not make it free, but a deep discount would make sense.

[bhaw]

Use the passcode LOCKOUT for 5% off GameCenter Live! Note: Subscriber agrees to a $10 "make whole" fee upon accepting the Terms and Conditions.

[Lt. Dish]

Use the passcode LOCKOUT for 5% off GameCenter Live! Note: Subscriber agrees to a $10 "make whole" fee upon accepting the Terms and Conditions.

I want a "make whole" rebate!

[heshootsandscores]

Use the passcode LOCKOUT for 5% off GameCenter Live! Note: Subscriber agrees to a $10 "make whole" fee upon accepting the Terms and Conditions.

What is the cost for the season?

[bhaw]

no announcement on that yet, and there probably won't be one for several days if not a week or two.

[no name]

Free NHL Center Ice probably won't happen
http://www.sbnation.com/2013/1/6/3843108/why-free-center-ice-simply-cant-happen

A nice thought, but it's not possible, you guys. The NHL doesn't have full ownership of the package. A company called inDEMAND -- which runs similar packages for the NBA, MLB and MLS -- does. They would need the approval of literally every cable and satellite company that runs the package -- everyone from DIRECTV to Comcast -- to make it happen, as inDEMAND and the cable companies all want a piece of those pricey subscriber fees. A discount? Perhaps. A free season of Center Ice? Logistically impossible.

The NHL does, however, have more power over its GameCenter Live application, which could mean a deeply discounted, if not free, season of that. I imagine the league probably doesn't want to make Center Ice a completely useless option for fans with access to a computer (there are many of those, I hear!) so they might not make it free, but a deep discount would make sense.

/NHL would be smart to pick up this bill just to gets fans intrested in the sport again.

[FreeCandy44]

50 game season?
http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck- ... --nhl.html