Lockout

[tfrizz]

Duhatschek: Owners have only themselves to blame

The players will win because the players always win.

The players won in 1994-95, even if the consensus was they lost by surrendering to a punitive rookie salary cap and other major concessions.

The players won in 2004-05, even though the consensus was that by agreeing to a hard salary cap, they got clobbered by NHL commissioner Gary Bettman at the negotiating table.

The players will win because the minute the ink is dry on a new collective agreement, agents and general managers will find clever ways to circumvent the spirit and language of the new deal.

This is the unchanging way of the NHL world, where 30 teams annually compete for one prize. Team owners get frustrated by losing and eventually instruct the people who work for them to do whatever it takes to stop losing.

He makes a pretty good point. No matter how good the owners feel with whatever they get in the CBA, their GMs and the players' agents are going to find ways to mess it all up - just like they always do.

[BurghersAndDogsSports]

Now we've got the official Pens Twitter feed wishing Joe Morrow a belated happy birthday. Is this allowed? I'm only half-kidding.

Between the pens twitter feed, rossi, dejan and madden I'm not quite sure how anyone in this town can actually follow hockey.

[jmh470]

So past failure is a guarantee of future failure?

Sound advice for all walks of life.

[TheHammer24]

At least schedule a f***ing meeting you stupid ****ing sons of ****ous *******. I've ****ing had it it with you **** ** ******* arseholes. Dammit.

Love that you were to sure to spell "***" "arse"

[RisslingsMissingTeeth]

Was just thinking about this. With this round of cancellations, the players have given up $1.6B in salaries. The owners have given up collective net profits of around $30M. no matter how these negotiations play out, the owners have won decisively even if they took the last player's proposal to the word.

[Idoit40fans]

Was just thinking about this. With this round of cancellations, the players have given up $1.6B in salaries. The owners have given up collective net profits of around $30M. no matter how these negotiations play out, the owners have won decisively even if they took the last player's proposal to the word.

$1.6 billion in salaries? Are you sure you aren't talking about estimated NHL revenue lost? The Players made a total of about $1.7 billion last season.

[PensFanInDC]

I miss that show

[MRandall25]

@ian_mendes

Interesting to note that @SBJLizMullen reporting that next round of NHL talks could be overseen by a federal mediator, as per union request.


Only reason I see the mediators as being necessary at this point is to get Fehr and Bettman to play nice. They're close enough that they could work it out by themselves, but the owners' side HAS to be able to work with Fehr, again given that they're close enough.

[no name]

@ian_mendes

Interesting to note that @SBJLizMullen reporting that next round of NHL talks could be overseen by a federal mediator, as per union request.


Only reason I see the mediators as being necessary at this point is to get Fehr and Bettman to play nice. They're close enough that they could work it out by themselves, but the owners' side HAS to be able to work with Fehr, again given that they're close enough.

Bettman didn't sound like they were very close when he made his statement. Although Bettman didn't deny, Fehrs claim that they were in agreement on the economics. If they are crying over the 5 year deals, i think that is a bit much for the owners to hold onto. 5% varience fine, but 5 year deals max i can't see that stopping a deal.

[MilPenFan]

I have become a Penguins fan but I live in Wisconsin and am relatively new to hockey. You guys must be livid over there potentially missing an entire season while you have two of the games best players on your team in their primes. What a kick in the pants it must be if we lose the season. I miss watching hockey, so do my boys. My 6 year old keeps asking me when we are going to watch games together like we did last year.

[Gaucho]

Meeting scheduled for Wednesday, according to LeBrun.

[penny lane]

Josh Rimer ‏@JoshRimerHockey
Roman Hamrlik just told me on http://nextsportstar.com that he would support the NHLPA taking a vote on the owners last offer.

[CERV96]

I have become a Penguins fan but I live in Wisconsin and am relatively new to hockey. You guys must be livid over there potentially missing an entire season while you have two of the games best players on your team in their primes. What a kick in the pants it must be if we lose the season. I miss watching hockey, so do my boys. My 6 year old keeps asking me when we are going to watch games together like we did last year.

Welcome!

[Idoit40fans]

I have become a Penguins fan but I live in Wisconsin and am relatively new to hockey. You guys must be livid over there potentially missing an entire season while you have two of the games best players on your team in their primes. What a kick in the pants it must be if we lose the season. I miss watching hockey, so do my boys. My 6 year old keeps asking me when we are going to watch games together like we did last year.

I dont care all that much. As long as the team is entertaining me ill be a fan. I obviously want them to win the cup, but im not that tied up in it.

[Idoit40fans]

All i can picture now when i think of cheap shots happenning because players "have no respect", which i think is bs anyway...anyway, when i think of that now, i think of roman hamrlik.

[MRandall25]

That would assume Hamrlik actually plays... IIRC he was a scratch a lot/played 3rd pairing minutes.

[Gaucho]

More on decertification and other things:

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=411412

[Idoit40fans]

Did they just change the date on an old article? I swear i read that last month.

[Gaucho]

They had a long piece on decertification a couple of weeks ago, iirc.

[Idoit40fans]

I guess thats what im remembering. My disinterest is starting to subside and i want hockey again. Maybe thats just because they are getting seemingly close

[no name]

They had a long piece on decertification a couple of weeks ago, iirc.

Yeah i swear that article sounds familiar, there is nothing going on today they just wanted an article posted. The NHL didn't seem worried when asked about decertification of the union, from what i read its highly unlikely until the season is officially canceled.

[Gaucho]

I guess thats what im remembering. My disinterest is starting to subside and i want hockey again. Maybe thats just because they are getting seemingly close

I know that I'll be giddy with joy when the lockout ends. A part of me hates myself for it, because it confirms the league's attitude of taking me for granted.

[Gaucho]

Dave Molinari ‏@MolinariPG
James Neal has returned to Southpointe, joining the 12 penguins from Monday. They are 87, 29, 44, 46, 2, 5, 6, 9, 24, 48, 14 and 27

James Neal says he didn't return to Pittsburgh now because he feels lockout is about to end: "It doesn't indicate anything."


Well, what else is he supposed to say?

[no name]

I guess thats what im remembering. My disinterest is starting to subside and i want hockey again. Maybe thats just because they are getting seemingly close

I know that I'll be giddy with joy when the lockout ends. A part of me hates myself for it, because it confirms the league's attitude of taking me for granted.

wow i couldn't of said it better myself. I want the lockout to end, and if i had any will power i would love to punish the NHL without my support. But i know i will cave and be just the same die hard hockey fan.

[penny lane]

i've become cynical about hockey. I don't want to see smiling faces of bettman/fehr, or a handshake.
Any monies lost by the owners will be made up on hockey tickets.

Miss seeing the guys, but I won't blindly go to the consol just waiting to spend money on hockey.