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Amid apologies from the leaders who called for the lockout that shut down the N.H.L. for almost four months, the N.H.L. Board of Governors approved a tentative collective bargaining agreement with the players union Wednesday. “This great game has been gone for far too long, and for that we are truly sorry,” said Jeremy Jacobs, the Boston Bruins’ owner and chairman of the board, who announced the decision to reporters at a hotel in Midtown Manhattan. Jacobs said the board’s approval was unanimous.
Commissioner Gary Bettman said: “I know that an explanation or an apology will not erase the hard feelings that have built up over the past few months, but I owe you an apology nevertheless. As commissioner of the National Hockey League, it sometimes falls upon me to make tough decisions that disappoint and occasionally anger players and fans.”
The meeting was held at the Westin, where negotiations between players and owners broke down in acrimony on Dec. 6. Bettman and Jacobs made their statements at an N.H.L. podium like the one that was set up that night in the hopes of announcing a settlement that in the end took another month to produce.
The owners’ approval took place amid a swirl of other developments that signaled that a big-business sport was creaking back to life.
In a surprise move Wednesday morning, the Toronto Maple Leafs fired Brian Burke, their president and general manager. Burke would have been present for Wednesday’s meeting. Overseas, it was unclear whether Ilya Kovalchuk of the Devils and Lubomir Visnovsky of the Islanders would defy their N.H.L. contracts and remain in the Kontinental Hockey League once play begins.
The N.H.L. Players’ Association must still approve the agreement by a majority vote before training camps start or a schedule can be released. Union officials said Wednesday that an electronic vote among players had been pushed back and is now expected Friday and Saturday, with camps tentatively scheduled to open Sunday.
Bettman said once the players’ ratification was official, a schedule would be released “instantaneously.” A 48-game schedule has been prepared, with no crossover games between conferences.
Bettman’s remarks were aimed toward fans, players and sponsors. He said he “read the letters,” “followed the tweets,” “read the blogs” and was aware of the widespread dissatisfaction.
“To the players who were very clear they wanted to be on the ice and not negotiating labor contracts, to our partners who support the league financially and personally, and most importantly to our fans, who love and have missed N.H.L. hockey, I’m sorry,” said Bettman, who has presided over three lockouts since he took office in 1993.
Jacobs was considered the most hard-line owner, the power behind this lockout and the previous one, which wiped out the entire 2004-5 season. His presence at the negotiating table in this lockout led to friction with players, and he was absent from the last round of talks, which produced a settlement.
But Jacobs also expressed gratitude “for the dedication the players showed during the negotiating process.”
Bettman said that some owners were disappointed with various aspects of the deal. But he dispelled questions about his job status as speculation.
“I am looking forward to continuing to grow this game, both on and off the ice, as we have over the last 20 years,” Bettman said. “I think the opportunities are great, and I am excited to be a part of them.”
Geoff Molson, an owner of the Montreal Canadiens, said Bettman had “strong” support from the owners.
“There are 30 owners, and Gary Bettman represents all 30 owners,” Molson said. “He did the best he possibly can to satisfy every owner to the best possible level. It’s impossible for every single team to be 100 percent satisfied with everything, but over all we’re very satisfied.”
Kovalchuk and the Red Wings’ Pavel Datsyuk are expected to remain in Russia for the K.H.L. All-Star Game on Sunday, and Visnovsky has said he wants to remain with his K.H.L. club for the rest of the season.
Bettman dismissed a question about whether a dispute with the K.H.L. would cause the N.H.L. to keep its players out of the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia.
“The N.H.L. represents the highest level of hockey in the world,” he said. “We expect that the best players in the world will want to play here.”
The document the governors approved Wednesday was merely a summary of the tentative agreement. League and union lawyers were still working Wednesday on an official memorandum of understanding.
Union officials said they hoped the memorandum would be finished in time for the start of the players’ vote Friday.
www-nytimes-com/2013/01/10/sports/hockey/nhl-vote-to-approve-new-labor-contract-html?_r=0
Commissioner Gary Bettman said: “I know that an explanation or an apology will not erase the hard feelings that have built up over the past few months, but I owe you an apology nevertheless. As commissioner of the National Hockey League, it sometimes falls upon me to make tough decisions that disappoint and occasionally anger players and fans.”
The meeting was held at the Westin, where negotiations between players and owners broke down in acrimony on Dec. 6. Bettman and Jacobs made their statements at an N.H.L. podium like the one that was set up that night in the hopes of announcing a settlement that in the end took another month to produce.
The owners’ approval took place amid a swirl of other developments that signaled that a big-business sport was creaking back to life.
In a surprise move Wednesday morning, the Toronto Maple Leafs fired Brian Burke, their president and general manager. Burke would have been present for Wednesday’s meeting. Overseas, it was unclear whether Ilya Kovalchuk of the Devils and Lubomir Visnovsky of the Islanders would defy their N.H.L. contracts and remain in the Kontinental Hockey League once play begins.
The N.H.L. Players’ Association must still approve the agreement by a majority vote before training camps start or a schedule can be released. Union officials said Wednesday that an electronic vote among players had been pushed back and is now expected Friday and Saturday, with camps tentatively scheduled to open Sunday.
Bettman said once the players’ ratification was official, a schedule would be released “instantaneously.” A 48-game schedule has been prepared, with no crossover games between conferences.
Bettman’s remarks were aimed toward fans, players and sponsors. He said he “read the letters,” “followed the tweets,” “read the blogs” and was aware of the widespread dissatisfaction.
“To the players who were very clear they wanted to be on the ice and not negotiating labor contracts, to our partners who support the league financially and personally, and most importantly to our fans, who love and have missed N.H.L. hockey, I’m sorry,” said Bettman, who has presided over three lockouts since he took office in 1993.
Jacobs was considered the most hard-line owner, the power behind this lockout and the previous one, which wiped out the entire 2004-5 season. His presence at the negotiating table in this lockout led to friction with players, and he was absent from the last round of talks, which produced a settlement.
But Jacobs also expressed gratitude “for the dedication the players showed during the negotiating process.”
Bettman said that some owners were disappointed with various aspects of the deal. But he dispelled questions about his job status as speculation.
“I am looking forward to continuing to grow this game, both on and off the ice, as we have over the last 20 years,” Bettman said. “I think the opportunities are great, and I am excited to be a part of them.”
Geoff Molson, an owner of the Montreal Canadiens, said Bettman had “strong” support from the owners.
“There are 30 owners, and Gary Bettman represents all 30 owners,” Molson said. “He did the best he possibly can to satisfy every owner to the best possible level. It’s impossible for every single team to be 100 percent satisfied with everything, but over all we’re very satisfied.”
Kovalchuk and the Red Wings’ Pavel Datsyuk are expected to remain in Russia for the K.H.L. All-Star Game on Sunday, and Visnovsky has said he wants to remain with his K.H.L. club for the rest of the season.
Bettman dismissed a question about whether a dispute with the K.H.L. would cause the N.H.L. to keep its players out of the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia.
“The N.H.L. represents the highest level of hockey in the world,” he said. “We expect that the best players in the world will want to play here.”
The document the governors approved Wednesday was merely a summary of the tentative agreement. League and union lawyers were still working Wednesday on an official memorandum of understanding.
Union officials said they hoped the memorandum would be finished in time for the start of the players’ vote Friday.
www-nytimes-com/2013/01/10/sports/hockey/nhl-vote-to-approve-new-labor-contract-html?_r=0
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2006/12/07
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When Edmonton Oilers’ assistant coach Steve Smith said Wednesday that his club had to somehow squeeze 48 games into 99 days this lockout season, I wondered about his math. Not any more.
Several people have seen the final game of the NHL regular season and it’s April 27, a Saturday.
So the season starts on Jan. 19 and ends three months and eight days later.
In the last abbreviated season in 1995, it started on Jan. 20 and ended May 3. That was 48 games over 104 days, still a grind but not like this injuries-waiting-to-happen season. Frankly, the league should be giving every team dispensation, so they can carry 25 players (not the max of 23) for this season, alone. Two goalies, eight defencemen and 15 forwards because of the games sausaged into such a short time-frame, but of course the owners won’t go for that because they’d have to pay two extra NHL salaries. Well guess what? They’re going to end up paying players not to play who are on training tables with sprained knees and pulled groins and shoulder separations. Guys on IR. Especially defencemen, who get hurt more often because there’s fewer of them and lots play big minutes.
It’s also silly that the NHL has to wait until one minute after the players officially ratify the new CBA at 6 am Edmonton time Saturday to put out the schedule, officially. As if, it’s not a rubber-stamp deal with the players. It’s like signing up for the internet in a hotel room and you’re asked to read the rules and regulations which add up to about 15 paragraphs and you, instead, click on the box that says you agree to all the stuff. You can’t be bothered going through that. Same with the players. They know they want to play, and yet, they’re going to take 36 hours to vote. OK, it’s a democratic process, but REALLY😡
Fans have been clamouring for the details of the new schedule for days now, not to mention official confirmation for the teams and they can’t get it. The Oilers are supposed to start Jan. 19, but I’ve heard whispers it might be Sunday Jan. 20, instead. At least two teams (one per conference because there’s only conference play) can’t suit up Jan. 19.
We would like to tell you the Oilers are playing Calgary in their opener. But maybe not. Maybe it’s Vancouver.
All I know is 48 games in 99 days is a recipe to have guys on IR. I wonder what the league-wide list will look like after, say, 10 games. Thirty guys, 50, more than that?
***
Former Oilers’ defenceman Tom Gilbert will be in Minnesota’s second pairing with Clayton Stoner. Ryan Suter and local boy Jared Spurgeon are the first unit, for now…Ryan Jones’s eye injury while skating with the Minnesota Wild players on New Year’s Eve came on a deflection off the skate of Matt Cullen. Jones,who was standing in the corner, has said he’ll now wear a visor in the games after the pool of the blood and a trip to hospital for surgery. He’s out until next month, sometime, which means somebody else will be in his third-line wing spot..The Oilers’ farm squad in Oklahoma City hasn’t been able to beat Minnesota’s AHL affiliate in Houston this year, but only one of the Aeros–Finn Mikael Granlund–will be making their opening lineup. The hugely-talented forward Jason Zucker has to stay in the minors because they have too many forwards after signing free-agents Zenon Konopka and Torrey Mitchell for fourth-line duty this summer. The Oilers, meanwhile, will have Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle, Justin Schultz, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and likely Teemu Hartikainen and possibly Magnus Paajarvi on their roster.
Several people have seen the final game of the NHL regular season and it’s April 27, a Saturday.
So the season starts on Jan. 19 and ends three months and eight days later.
In the last abbreviated season in 1995, it started on Jan. 20 and ended May 3. That was 48 games over 104 days, still a grind but not like this injuries-waiting-to-happen season. Frankly, the league should be giving every team dispensation, so they can carry 25 players (not the max of 23) for this season, alone. Two goalies, eight defencemen and 15 forwards because of the games sausaged into such a short time-frame, but of course the owners won’t go for that because they’d have to pay two extra NHL salaries. Well guess what? They’re going to end up paying players not to play who are on training tables with sprained knees and pulled groins and shoulder separations. Guys on IR. Especially defencemen, who get hurt more often because there’s fewer of them and lots play big minutes.
It’s also silly that the NHL has to wait until one minute after the players officially ratify the new CBA at 6 am Edmonton time Saturday to put out the schedule, officially. As if, it’s not a rubber-stamp deal with the players. It’s like signing up for the internet in a hotel room and you’re asked to read the rules and regulations which add up to about 15 paragraphs and you, instead, click on the box that says you agree to all the stuff. You can’t be bothered going through that. Same with the players. They know they want to play, and yet, they’re going to take 36 hours to vote. OK, it’s a democratic process, but REALLY😡
Fans have been clamouring for the details of the new schedule for days now, not to mention official confirmation for the teams and they can’t get it. The Oilers are supposed to start Jan. 19, but I’ve heard whispers it might be Sunday Jan. 20, instead. At least two teams (one per conference because there’s only conference play) can’t suit up Jan. 19.
We would like to tell you the Oilers are playing Calgary in their opener. But maybe not. Maybe it’s Vancouver.
All I know is 48 games in 99 days is a recipe to have guys on IR. I wonder what the league-wide list will look like after, say, 10 games. Thirty guys, 50, more than that?
***
Former Oilers’ defenceman Tom Gilbert will be in Minnesota’s second pairing with Clayton Stoner. Ryan Suter and local boy Jared Spurgeon are the first unit, for now…Ryan Jones’s eye injury while skating with the Minnesota Wild players on New Year’s Eve came on a deflection off the skate of Matt Cullen. Jones,who was standing in the corner, has said he’ll now wear a visor in the games after the pool of the blood and a trip to hospital for surgery. He’s out until next month, sometime, which means somebody else will be in his third-line wing spot..The Oilers’ farm squad in Oklahoma City hasn’t been able to beat Minnesota’s AHL affiliate in Houston this year, but only one of the Aeros–Finn Mikael Granlund–will be making their opening lineup. The hugely-talented forward Jason Zucker has to stay in the minors because they have too many forwards after signing free-agents Zenon Konopka and Torrey Mitchell for fourth-line duty this summer. The Oilers, meanwhile, will have Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle, Justin Schultz, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and likely Teemu Hartikainen and possibly Magnus Paajarvi on their roster.
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2006/12/07
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For those hoping the 113-day lockout would buy time for National Hockey League stars like Chris Pronger and Marc Savard to return to game action, the sad news is nothing has changed.
Sure, Pronger had plans to attend the Philadelphia Flyers’ condensed training camp this week, but as an observer only. Post-concussion syndrome has kept the 38-year-old defenceman idle since Nov. 19, 2011, and there are rumblings he’s played his final NHL game.
Like Pronger, the hopes of a return for the 35-year-old Savard from post-concussion syndrome appear slim. He hasn’t played an NHL game since the 2010-11 campaign when he was limited to 25 contests.
In October, the Boston Bruins centre said a comeback wasn’t in his “foreseeable future” and he has since expressed interest in coaching in the Ontario Hockey League.
For some of the NHL’s other elite performers, a return to action in what is expected to be a 48-season, starting Jan. 19, is anywhere from imminent to a couple of games away to a few weeks. An injury update on nine players plus those on Canadian squads is provided below.
NICKLAS BACKSTROM, C, Washington
The good news is Backstrom doesn’t have a concussion after missing 40 games last season with the same injury. The bad news is he’s still hampered by a sore neck incurred while playing for Dynamo Moscow of the KHL during the lockout that kept him off skates for two weeks.
Backstrom, 25, has averaged more than a point a game in three of the past four seasons.
DANIEL BRIERE, C, Philadelphia
It appears Briere will play less than a full season for the eighth straight season after spraining his left wrist and suffering a bone bruise while playing overseas in Germany.
The 35-year-old has said he only expects to miss a couple of games at most.
MATT DUCHENE, C, Colorado
Duchene, 21, will be looking for a strong start with the Avalanche after struggling late last season following a return from injury. A left injury sidelined him for more than six weeks as Colorado finished 24th of 30 teams in goals scored. Duchene had 14 goals and 28 points in 58 games.
MARIAN GABORIK, RW, NY Rangers
An injury concern for much of his NHL career, Gaborik will have a chance to play each game for the second season in a row after Rangers head coach John Tortorella proclaimed him ready to start the season following surgery on a torn labrum in the summer. Gaborik, 30, had 41 goals and 76 points in 82 games last year.
CLAUDE GIROUX, RW, Philadelphia
The Flyers’ star gave management and fans a scare in November when he suffered a neck injury while playing for Eisbaren Berlin in Germany.
The 25-year-old Giroux burst onto the scene last year with the Flyers, scoring 28 goals and 93 points in 77 games, a 17-point improvement over the previous season.
MARIAN HOSSA, RW, Chicago
A very important part of the Blackhawks offence, Hossa will be at training camp after being medically cleared in mid-December following his recovery from a concussion that ended his 2011-12 in the first round of the playoffs.
The 34-year-old Czech topped Chicago in assists (48) and points (77) last season.
ANZE KOPITAR, C, Los Angeles
The 25-year-old will miss two to three weeks after injuring his right knee while playing for Mora IK of Sweden’s Allsvenskan hockey league. Kopitar has played 30 games this season, so at least his conditioning should be fine upon his return.
VINCENT LECAVALIER, C, Tampa Bay
Some wonder if Steven Stamkos can score 35 goals in a 48-game season. Others are asking if his Lightning teammate Lecavalier can play 48 games.
A once durable player, Lecavalier has missed 35 games over the past two seasons due to injury. His goal production has also been a concern as Lecavalier hasn’t reached 30 goals in four seasons.
JONATHAN QUICK, G, Los Angeles
Even the defending Stanley Cup champions aren’t without some questions entering a shortened season. Quick, 26, played through a herniated disc in his back from March through the Kings’ successful run to a Cup championship before surgery was necessary after the disc developed a cyst. Quick was the NHL’s playoff MVP in 2012 after posting a 16-4 record, 1.41 goals-against average and .946 save percentage.
Canadian clubs
CALGARY — Centre Mikael Backlund might be in line for a promotion to the top forward line, but he’ll take a healthy 48-game season over almost anything. Injuries robbed the Swede of 40 games in the 2011-12 campaign. Backlund, 23, had 30 points in 23 games for VIK Vasteras in Sweden’s No. 2 league during the lockout.
EDMONTON — Eyes will remain on Oilers left-winger Taylor Hall, even after he collected 14 goals and 34 points in 26 games for the American Hockey League’s Oklahoma City Barons. The 20-year-old began the season late after he needed seven months of rehabilitation following shoulder surgery.
MONTREAL — Two-time NHL all-star defenceman Andrei Markov has played only 65 games the past three seasons, so injuries are always a concern. He was hurt during the lockout, missing seven games after breaking two ribs in an Oct. 26 game while playing for Vityaz Chekhov in Russia.
Canadiens teammate Tomas Plekanec (upper-body injury) could miss the first week of so of the season, while centre Blake Geoffrion faces an uncertain hockey future after suffering a depressed skull fracture during an American Hockey League game.
OTTAWA — Defenceman Jared Cowen, 21, will miss the shortened season after he had hip surgery in late 2012 to repair a torn labrum. The ninth overall pick in the 2009 NHL entry draft played 82 games last year and saw his role expand as the season progressed.
TORONTO — After missing a year following back surgeries and a subsequent lethal blood infection earlier in his career, Maple Leafs winger Joffrey Lupul was shelved the final four weeks of last season with a separated shoulder. Lupul, 29, had 67 points in 66 games before the injury.
Defence prospect Jake Gardiner is expect
Sure, Pronger had plans to attend the Philadelphia Flyers’ condensed training camp this week, but as an observer only. Post-concussion syndrome has kept the 38-year-old defenceman idle since Nov. 19, 2011, and there are rumblings he’s played his final NHL game.
Like Pronger, the hopes of a return for the 35-year-old Savard from post-concussion syndrome appear slim. He hasn’t played an NHL game since the 2010-11 campaign when he was limited to 25 contests.
In October, the Boston Bruins centre said a comeback wasn’t in his “foreseeable future” and he has since expressed interest in coaching in the Ontario Hockey League.
For some of the NHL’s other elite performers, a return to action in what is expected to be a 48-season, starting Jan. 19, is anywhere from imminent to a couple of games away to a few weeks. An injury update on nine players plus those on Canadian squads is provided below.
NICKLAS BACKSTROM, C, Washington
The good news is Backstrom doesn’t have a concussion after missing 40 games last season with the same injury. The bad news is he’s still hampered by a sore neck incurred while playing for Dynamo Moscow of the KHL during the lockout that kept him off skates for two weeks.
Backstrom, 25, has averaged more than a point a game in three of the past four seasons.
DANIEL BRIERE, C, Philadelphia
It appears Briere will play less than a full season for the eighth straight season after spraining his left wrist and suffering a bone bruise while playing overseas in Germany.
The 35-year-old has said he only expects to miss a couple of games at most.
MATT DUCHENE, C, Colorado
Duchene, 21, will be looking for a strong start with the Avalanche after struggling late last season following a return from injury. A left injury sidelined him for more than six weeks as Colorado finished 24th of 30 teams in goals scored. Duchene had 14 goals and 28 points in 58 games.
MARIAN GABORIK, RW, NY Rangers
An injury concern for much of his NHL career, Gaborik will have a chance to play each game for the second season in a row after Rangers head coach John Tortorella proclaimed him ready to start the season following surgery on a torn labrum in the summer. Gaborik, 30, had 41 goals and 76 points in 82 games last year.
CLAUDE GIROUX, RW, Philadelphia
The Flyers’ star gave management and fans a scare in November when he suffered a neck injury while playing for Eisbaren Berlin in Germany.
The 25-year-old Giroux burst onto the scene last year with the Flyers, scoring 28 goals and 93 points in 77 games, a 17-point improvement over the previous season.
MARIAN HOSSA, RW, Chicago
A very important part of the Blackhawks offence, Hossa will be at training camp after being medically cleared in mid-December following his recovery from a concussion that ended his 2011-12 in the first round of the playoffs.
The 34-year-old Czech topped Chicago in assists (48) and points (77) last season.
ANZE KOPITAR, C, Los Angeles
The 25-year-old will miss two to three weeks after injuring his right knee while playing for Mora IK of Sweden’s Allsvenskan hockey league. Kopitar has played 30 games this season, so at least his conditioning should be fine upon his return.
VINCENT LECAVALIER, C, Tampa Bay
Some wonder if Steven Stamkos can score 35 goals in a 48-game season. Others are asking if his Lightning teammate Lecavalier can play 48 games.
A once durable player, Lecavalier has missed 35 games over the past two seasons due to injury. His goal production has also been a concern as Lecavalier hasn’t reached 30 goals in four seasons.
JONATHAN QUICK, G, Los Angeles
Even the defending Stanley Cup champions aren’t without some questions entering a shortened season. Quick, 26, played through a herniated disc in his back from March through the Kings’ successful run to a Cup championship before surgery was necessary after the disc developed a cyst. Quick was the NHL’s playoff MVP in 2012 after posting a 16-4 record, 1.41 goals-against average and .946 save percentage.
Canadian clubs
CALGARY — Centre Mikael Backlund might be in line for a promotion to the top forward line, but he’ll take a healthy 48-game season over almost anything. Injuries robbed the Swede of 40 games in the 2011-12 campaign. Backlund, 23, had 30 points in 23 games for VIK Vasteras in Sweden’s No. 2 league during the lockout.
EDMONTON — Eyes will remain on Oilers left-winger Taylor Hall, even after he collected 14 goals and 34 points in 26 games for the American Hockey League’s Oklahoma City Barons. The 20-year-old began the season late after he needed seven months of rehabilitation following shoulder surgery.
MONTREAL — Two-time NHL all-star defenceman Andrei Markov has played only 65 games the past three seasons, so injuries are always a concern. He was hurt during the lockout, missing seven games after breaking two ribs in an Oct. 26 game while playing for Vityaz Chekhov in Russia.
Canadiens teammate Tomas Plekanec (upper-body injury) could miss the first week of so of the season, while centre Blake Geoffrion faces an uncertain hockey future after suffering a depressed skull fracture during an American Hockey League game.
OTTAWA — Defenceman Jared Cowen, 21, will miss the shortened season after he had hip surgery in late 2012 to repair a torn labrum. The ninth overall pick in the 2009 NHL entry draft played 82 games last year and saw his role expand as the season progressed.
TORONTO — After missing a year following back surgeries and a subsequent lethal blood infection earlier in his career, Maple Leafs winger Joffrey Lupul was shelved the final four weeks of last season with a separated shoulder. Lupul, 29, had 67 points in 66 games before the injury.
Defence prospect Jake Gardiner is expect
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2006/12/07
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The National Hockey League season will officially get under way Saturday, three months later than scheduled, the league announced on its website.
The NHL Players' Association ratified a new collective bargaining agreement Saturday, ending the lockout that began September 15. The agreement came after a sometimes acrimonious process to retool the labor deal between the players' association and the league.
During on-and-off negotiations, the NHL scrapped its preseason, all games through 2012 and threatened to scratch the entire season if a deal couldn't be reached.
But on January 6, the league and the players announced they'd struck a tentative agreement after a 16-hour negotiating session.
The league's board of governors approved the deal Wednesday, but it wasn't official until Saturday. Hours after the players ratified the agreement, leaders from the two sides signed a memorandum of understanding about the terms of the new 10-year labor deal.
Training camps begin Sunday, the NHL said.
Three games will open the truncated regular season at 3 p.m. ET on Saturday: Pittsburgh at Philadelphia, Ottawa at Winnipeg and Chicago at Los Angeles, the reigning Stanley Cup champion.
The season will be 48 games, down from the standard 82. The regular season ends April 27.
The last time the league had labor strife, the entire 2004-05 season was eliminated.
NHL players finally set to return to ice after lockout - CNN-com
The NHL Players' Association ratified a new collective bargaining agreement Saturday, ending the lockout that began September 15. The agreement came after a sometimes acrimonious process to retool the labor deal between the players' association and the league.
During on-and-off negotiations, the NHL scrapped its preseason, all games through 2012 and threatened to scratch the entire season if a deal couldn't be reached.
But on January 6, the league and the players announced they'd struck a tentative agreement after a 16-hour negotiating session.
The league's board of governors approved the deal Wednesday, but it wasn't official until Saturday. Hours after the players ratified the agreement, leaders from the two sides signed a memorandum of understanding about the terms of the new 10-year labor deal.
Training camps begin Sunday, the NHL said.
Three games will open the truncated regular season at 3 p.m. ET on Saturday: Pittsburgh at Philadelphia, Ottawa at Winnipeg and Chicago at Los Angeles, the reigning Stanley Cup champion.
The season will be 48 games, down from the standard 82. The regular season ends April 27.
The last time the league had labor strife, the entire 2004-05 season was eliminated.
NHL players finally set to return to ice after lockout - CNN-com
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2006/12/07
Messages:
29893
Our long national nightmare is over; check that — Canada’s long national nightmare is over:
The National Hockey League is back, baby!
Midweek Predators-Coyotes games. John Tortorella news conferences. Andy Sutton suspensions. Late-June Stanley Cup finals.
During the 113-day lockout, I felt like a woodchuck without wood. Over the years, I had come to depend on the NHL as a faithful companion on many cold, lonely nights in Southern California. Then, suddenly, I was lost and confused on the couch, caged in my own personal, hellish penalty box.
It’s like the old song goes: “I can’t live/if living is without the NHL/I can’t live/I can’t give anymore.”
I even got into a lockout routine: Every evening I’d TiVo NBC Sports Network before going to sleep, hoping that when I arose the next morning, my DVR would be filled with live NHL action on tape. And every morning I’d awaken to boxing, auto racing and “World of Adventure Sports.”
Losing the NHL was similar to the withdrawal I feel every time McDonald’s pulls the McRib from the menu; you can never know if and when those succulent babies are going to return. What am I supposed to do, wander into Arby’s and order the Arby-Q?
I’d buy one of those “I Hate Gary Bettman” T-shirts, but it would clash with my “David Stern Is an Egomaniacal Despot” sweat pants.
How brutal was this lockout? The Capitals’ Alex Ovechkin committed the cardinal sin of having too much time off — he got engaged . He’d be better off getting pinned against the boards by the Penguins’ Matt Cooke.
Meanwhile, Devils star Ilya Kovalchuk is still in Russia — he’s been playing for St. Petersburg in the Kontinental Hockey League — because he’s unwilling to pay the change fees on Delta.
(Column Intermission I: I believe Joe Flacco’s 70-yard fling-and-a-prayer to Jacoby Jones on Saturday that led to the Broncos’ defeat was the darkest moment in Team of Destiny history. I have been unable to move off the sofa since that pass was completed — it’s now approaching 48 hours since I have had food or water — and unless I can find a licensed therapist to make a house call, it is possible I will not watch another NFL game in this or any subsequent lifetime.)
(Column Intermission II: Remember the June 15, 2011 riots in Vancouver after the Canucks lost in the Stanley Cup finals? Well, Sophie Laboissonniere — who was a Miss Congeniality winner at a Vancouver beauty pageant — just pleaded guilty for rioting that night. Miss Congeniality was rioting? That’s like a member of PETA running a dog-fighting racket.)
(Column Intermission III: After a brief pep talk to Coach Tom Crowell, the Robinson twins and my stepson Isaiah — I told them to step up their game or get out of Dodge — the Springbrook High boys’ basketball team is back on track. Denying Isaiah dessert three straight nights did wonders.)
Here are the particulars of what’s left of the NHL’s 2012-13 season:
●Because of the rush back to the ice, NHL training camps began Sunday morning at 8:30 a.m. and ended Sunday evening at 6:30 p.m., with a light lunch served at noon.
●There will be a 48-game schedule. The season is so compressed, some games might forego the second intermission.
●No Winter Classic. But with everyone bemoaning the game’s loss, I suggest making it the Springtime Classic — it still feels like winter during April in Michigan anyway!
As it were, many NHL owners issued an apology to fans. Oh, really? They apologizing for hijacking the game? They apologizing for making even more money? They apologizing for costing arena workers and other businesses lots of cash? No. They’re apologizing strictly for public-relations purposes.
Of course, the emptiest apology of all came from Bettman, who sort of assured us this won’t happen again.
Uh, I’m not a believer — once an accident, twice a trend, three times a ritual.
Hey, I’m not going to be caught with my skates off again — the current NHL labor deal is good for eight years — so I’m already planning for the next, inevitable lockout. I just booked passage on Travelocity for February 2021:
Carnival in Rio, baby!
Ask The Slouch
Q. Re: Brent Musburger calling Katherine Webb “beautiful” during the Bowl Championship Series title game. Dirty old man or innocuous observation? (Robert Grove; Spokane, Wash.)
A. Two issues here: (1) Am I the only one who found Miss Alabama unattractive? (2) Lay off Brent. Then again, I comment on how good-looking men are during poker telecasts.
Q. When the NFL fines a player for an illegal hit, what percentage should the “hit” player receive? (Ed Shade; Hurricane, W. Va.)
A. I love this concept: Ed Reed should just sign over 25 percent of his penalties to the assailed player.
Q. Any truth to the rumor that Mike Shanahan has cleared Robert Griffin III to play in the Pro Bowl? (Russell Riley; Charlottesville)
A. Pay the man, Shirley.
You, too, can enter the $1.25 Ask The Slouch Cash Giveaway. Just e-mail [email][email protected][/email] and, if your question is used, you win $1.25 in cash!
The National Hockey League is back, baby!
Midweek Predators-Coyotes games. John Tortorella news conferences. Andy Sutton suspensions. Late-June Stanley Cup finals.
During the 113-day lockout, I felt like a woodchuck without wood. Over the years, I had come to depend on the NHL as a faithful companion on many cold, lonely nights in Southern California. Then, suddenly, I was lost and confused on the couch, caged in my own personal, hellish penalty box.
It’s like the old song goes: “I can’t live/if living is without the NHL/I can’t live/I can’t give anymore.”
I even got into a lockout routine: Every evening I’d TiVo NBC Sports Network before going to sleep, hoping that when I arose the next morning, my DVR would be filled with live NHL action on tape. And every morning I’d awaken to boxing, auto racing and “World of Adventure Sports.”
Losing the NHL was similar to the withdrawal I feel every time McDonald’s pulls the McRib from the menu; you can never know if and when those succulent babies are going to return. What am I supposed to do, wander into Arby’s and order the Arby-Q?
I’d buy one of those “I Hate Gary Bettman” T-shirts, but it would clash with my “David Stern Is an Egomaniacal Despot” sweat pants.
How brutal was this lockout? The Capitals’ Alex Ovechkin committed the cardinal sin of having too much time off — he got engaged . He’d be better off getting pinned against the boards by the Penguins’ Matt Cooke.
Meanwhile, Devils star Ilya Kovalchuk is still in Russia — he’s been playing for St. Petersburg in the Kontinental Hockey League — because he’s unwilling to pay the change fees on Delta.
(Column Intermission I: I believe Joe Flacco’s 70-yard fling-and-a-prayer to Jacoby Jones on Saturday that led to the Broncos’ defeat was the darkest moment in Team of Destiny history. I have been unable to move off the sofa since that pass was completed — it’s now approaching 48 hours since I have had food or water — and unless I can find a licensed therapist to make a house call, it is possible I will not watch another NFL game in this or any subsequent lifetime.)
(Column Intermission II: Remember the June 15, 2011 riots in Vancouver after the Canucks lost in the Stanley Cup finals? Well, Sophie Laboissonniere — who was a Miss Congeniality winner at a Vancouver beauty pageant — just pleaded guilty for rioting that night. Miss Congeniality was rioting? That’s like a member of PETA running a dog-fighting racket.)
(Column Intermission III: After a brief pep talk to Coach Tom Crowell, the Robinson twins and my stepson Isaiah — I told them to step up their game or get out of Dodge — the Springbrook High boys’ basketball team is back on track. Denying Isaiah dessert three straight nights did wonders.)
Here are the particulars of what’s left of the NHL’s 2012-13 season:
●Because of the rush back to the ice, NHL training camps began Sunday morning at 8:30 a.m. and ended Sunday evening at 6:30 p.m., with a light lunch served at noon.
●There will be a 48-game schedule. The season is so compressed, some games might forego the second intermission.
●No Winter Classic. But with everyone bemoaning the game’s loss, I suggest making it the Springtime Classic — it still feels like winter during April in Michigan anyway!
As it were, many NHL owners issued an apology to fans. Oh, really? They apologizing for hijacking the game? They apologizing for making even more money? They apologizing for costing arena workers and other businesses lots of cash? No. They’re apologizing strictly for public-relations purposes.
Of course, the emptiest apology of all came from Bettman, who sort of assured us this won’t happen again.
Uh, I’m not a believer — once an accident, twice a trend, three times a ritual.
Hey, I’m not going to be caught with my skates off again — the current NHL labor deal is good for eight years — so I’m already planning for the next, inevitable lockout. I just booked passage on Travelocity for February 2021:
Carnival in Rio, baby!
Ask The Slouch
Q. Re: Brent Musburger calling Katherine Webb “beautiful” during the Bowl Championship Series title game. Dirty old man or innocuous observation? (Robert Grove; Spokane, Wash.)
A. Two issues here: (1) Am I the only one who found Miss Alabama unattractive? (2) Lay off Brent. Then again, I comment on how good-looking men are during poker telecasts.
Q. When the NFL fines a player for an illegal hit, what percentage should the “hit” player receive? (Ed Shade; Hurricane, W. Va.)
A. I love this concept: Ed Reed should just sign over 25 percent of his penalties to the assailed player.
Q. Any truth to the rumor that Mike Shanahan has cleared Robert Griffin III to play in the Pro Bowl? (Russell Riley; Charlottesville)
A. Pay the man, Shirley.
You, too, can enter the $1.25 Ask The Slouch Cash Giveaway. Just e-mail [email][email protected][/email] and, if your question is used, you win $1.25 in cash!
Join:
2006/12/07
Messages:
29893
Jim Lites will admit it; he’s had this recurring nightmare of taking in the Dallas Stars’ first few home games and seeing nothing but vacant seats at the American Airlines Center. Rows and rows of emptiness. A bitter reminder of the 113-day lockout that stopped the NHL cold in its tracks.
As the Stars’ president, Lites has been working feverishly to win back hockey fans in Dallas who have either cancelled their tickets or simply lost interest in a once-mighty franchise. He’s called on some, sent others hand-written notes. The pursuit of the fan is critical to the NHL’s suspect U.S. markets since the new collective agreement is considered a move in the right direction but not a cure-all for what ails the league.
While the old CBA was chastised, in part, for not doing enough to help the NHL’s weak U.S. teams, hockey people are wondering if the new agreement will do any better addressing the financial disparities between the likes of the New York Rangers and Columbus Blue Jackets. Commissioner Gary Bettman believes it will and has pointed to the negotiated 50-50 hockey-related revenue split with the players and the now $200-million (all figures U.S.) in revenue sharing for needy teams as proof.
Others need convincing. They see a day when teams will be strained to the breaking point by having to pay the salary cap minimum – the floor will be $44-million for the next two years but could rise to $58-million by 2018. That would widen the gap between the rich and struggling franchises, even force relocation. When asked if the new CBA did enough to prevent that, one NHL owner responded flatly to The Globe and Mail, “No.”
Lites, who will only say the Stars lost “a bunch” of disgruntled season-ticket holders, offered his perspective.
“Every club looks at the CBA differently,” he explained.
“The richer teams, they’re upset they have to share at all.”
What you’re hoping for is a system that can be successful at the mid-point of the salary cap or below so it’s not how much you spend; it’s how you manage. Does this CBA get there? It’s a little better.
“In our case, we’re the fourth-largest market in the U.S. We have to sell tickets.”
Twice now in less than a decade, the NHL has risked alienating its fans to craft a better working arrangement with its Players’ Association. The latest CBA, according to noted U.S. sports economist Andrew Zimbalist, “mitigates the problem” between the league’s penthouse and townhouse franchises but doesn’t go far enough.
“You’re taking seven percentage points of hockey-related revenue [and adding them to the owners’ side] and that will help the low-revenue franchises,” said Zimbalist. “The increase in revenue sharing, from $150-million to $200-million, will help, too. … But instead of losing $15-million to $20-million, some teams will lose $10-million to $15-million. The situation is not resolved.”
The NHL and the NHLPA agreed to establish an industry growth fund starting at $20-million (from league revenues), which would allow teams to apply for assistance based on how they intend to grow their business. And growing business is indeed a necessity. Six teams – Phoenix Coyotes, New York Islanders, Columbus, Florida Panthers, Nashville Predators and Carolina Hurricanes – have posted the highest losses four years running and have become regular revenue-sharing recipients. Meanwhile, Canadian teams such as the Montreal Canadiens, Vancouver Canucks and even the Edmonton Oilers have paid into revenue sharing in recent years, as have the Toronto Maple Leafs, who last season turned in $20-million to help their less fortunate partners.
In one season, 2008-09, the Coyotes received more in revenue sharing ($13.5-million) than they generated in ticket sales ($13.3-million). The fact the league-operated Coyotes are coming off a trip to the Western Conference final offers hope. So does at least one element of the new CBA; a ruling that allows teams to move three players and eat as much as half their contracts, up to $10-million worth of salary, per year.
“Say the Rangers want to trade us a $5-million player. They send $2.5-million to us and have a cap charge of $2.5-million,” said Phoenix general manager Don Maloney. “It frees up cap space for them and it gives us a better player at a lesser cost. That, to me, is one of the biggest pluses of the new CBA.”
The consensus among NHL and team officials is that no CBA, even the NFL’s, can correct everything that troubles a sport. Given the NHL’s limited national television contracts, there isn’t enough money to wash clean a market where fan interest is soft and sponsorship revenue low. The onus then is being in the best possible markets and, in that regard, the NHL may one day have to face facts: if the new CBA proves as troublesome as the last, if teams such as Florida and Carolina can’t sell enough tickets, then it’s either time for contraction or franchise relocation.
“The NHL needs to be a little more creative and forward thinking,” Zimbalist said. “There’s only one sport that has succeeded in Europe, Canada and the U.S. and that’s hockey. Football and basketball haven’t been able to do it. Create a cross-Atlantic league. Have one in North America, one in Europe; maybe have a little inter-league play and then a playoff. If Gary Bettman stopped trying to keep a team in Phoenix and looked to Munich and Moscow, the NHL could be in a better situation.”
In the meantime, Panthers’ GM Dale Tallon and Carolina counterpart Jim Rutherford scan through the CBA’s fine print as much as they sift through their scorched markets looking for signs of life among the fans. Some U.S. teams have offered their faithful discounted merchandise, concession vouchers, even buy a ticket to one game and get a free ticket to another. It’s all part of filling in the cracks the new CBA didn’t fully address.
“There’s more money for revenue sharing and that’s probably a good thing for us,” said Tallon. “I don’t know how
As the Stars’ president, Lites has been working feverishly to win back hockey fans in Dallas who have either cancelled their tickets or simply lost interest in a once-mighty franchise. He’s called on some, sent others hand-written notes. The pursuit of the fan is critical to the NHL’s suspect U.S. markets since the new collective agreement is considered a move in the right direction but not a cure-all for what ails the league.
While the old CBA was chastised, in part, for not doing enough to help the NHL’s weak U.S. teams, hockey people are wondering if the new agreement will do any better addressing the financial disparities between the likes of the New York Rangers and Columbus Blue Jackets. Commissioner Gary Bettman believes it will and has pointed to the negotiated 50-50 hockey-related revenue split with the players and the now $200-million (all figures U.S.) in revenue sharing for needy teams as proof.
Others need convincing. They see a day when teams will be strained to the breaking point by having to pay the salary cap minimum – the floor will be $44-million for the next two years but could rise to $58-million by 2018. That would widen the gap between the rich and struggling franchises, even force relocation. When asked if the new CBA did enough to prevent that, one NHL owner responded flatly to The Globe and Mail, “No.”
Lites, who will only say the Stars lost “a bunch” of disgruntled season-ticket holders, offered his perspective.
“Every club looks at the CBA differently,” he explained.
“The richer teams, they’re upset they have to share at all.”
What you’re hoping for is a system that can be successful at the mid-point of the salary cap or below so it’s not how much you spend; it’s how you manage. Does this CBA get there? It’s a little better.
“In our case, we’re the fourth-largest market in the U.S. We have to sell tickets.”
Twice now in less than a decade, the NHL has risked alienating its fans to craft a better working arrangement with its Players’ Association. The latest CBA, according to noted U.S. sports economist Andrew Zimbalist, “mitigates the problem” between the league’s penthouse and townhouse franchises but doesn’t go far enough.
“You’re taking seven percentage points of hockey-related revenue [and adding them to the owners’ side] and that will help the low-revenue franchises,” said Zimbalist. “The increase in revenue sharing, from $150-million to $200-million, will help, too. … But instead of losing $15-million to $20-million, some teams will lose $10-million to $15-million. The situation is not resolved.”
The NHL and the NHLPA agreed to establish an industry growth fund starting at $20-million (from league revenues), which would allow teams to apply for assistance based on how they intend to grow their business. And growing business is indeed a necessity. Six teams – Phoenix Coyotes, New York Islanders, Columbus, Florida Panthers, Nashville Predators and Carolina Hurricanes – have posted the highest losses four years running and have become regular revenue-sharing recipients. Meanwhile, Canadian teams such as the Montreal Canadiens, Vancouver Canucks and even the Edmonton Oilers have paid into revenue sharing in recent years, as have the Toronto Maple Leafs, who last season turned in $20-million to help their less fortunate partners.
In one season, 2008-09, the Coyotes received more in revenue sharing ($13.5-million) than they generated in ticket sales ($13.3-million). The fact the league-operated Coyotes are coming off a trip to the Western Conference final offers hope. So does at least one element of the new CBA; a ruling that allows teams to move three players and eat as much as half their contracts, up to $10-million worth of salary, per year.
“Say the Rangers want to trade us a $5-million player. They send $2.5-million to us and have a cap charge of $2.5-million,” said Phoenix general manager Don Maloney. “It frees up cap space for them and it gives us a better player at a lesser cost. That, to me, is one of the biggest pluses of the new CBA.”
The consensus among NHL and team officials is that no CBA, even the NFL’s, can correct everything that troubles a sport. Given the NHL’s limited national television contracts, there isn’t enough money to wash clean a market where fan interest is soft and sponsorship revenue low. The onus then is being in the best possible markets and, in that regard, the NHL may one day have to face facts: if the new CBA proves as troublesome as the last, if teams such as Florida and Carolina can’t sell enough tickets, then it’s either time for contraction or franchise relocation.
“The NHL needs to be a little more creative and forward thinking,” Zimbalist said. “There’s only one sport that has succeeded in Europe, Canada and the U.S. and that’s hockey. Football and basketball haven’t been able to do it. Create a cross-Atlantic league. Have one in North America, one in Europe; maybe have a little inter-league play and then a playoff. If Gary Bettman stopped trying to keep a team in Phoenix and looked to Munich and Moscow, the NHL could be in a better situation.”
In the meantime, Panthers’ GM Dale Tallon and Carolina counterpart Jim Rutherford scan through the CBA’s fine print as much as they sift through their scorched markets looking for signs of life among the fans. Some U.S. teams have offered their faithful discounted merchandise, concession vouchers, even buy a ticket to one game and get a free ticket to another. It’s all part of filling in the cracks the new CBA didn’t fully address.
“There’s more money for revenue sharing and that’s probably a good thing for us,” said Tallon. “I don’t know how
Join:
2006/12/07
Messages:
29893
George Gund III, the original owner of the San Jose Sharks, died Tuesday of cancer. He was 75.
Gund and his brother, Gordon, relinquished their ownership stake in the Minnesota North Stars in 1990 in exchange for the rights to an expansion team for Northern California. The San Jose Sharks made their NHL debut on Oct. 4, 1991.
In addition to the Sharks and North Stars, Gund -- a longtime resident of California's Bay Area -- also held ownership stakes in the California Golden Seals and Cleveland Barons, as well as the Cleveland Cavaliers of the NBA. "George Gund was certain the National Hockey League could flourish in the Silicon Valley, and the strength of the Sharks franchise today was built on the foundation George created for it," NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said in a statement. "Of his many interests in a life of art, of philanthropy and entrepreneurship, George's devoted support of hockey was frequently at the forefront.
"The NHL sends condolences to his loved ones."
The Gunds owned the Sharks until 2002, when they sold the franchise to Sharks Sports and Entertainment, which continues to own the team.
"George Gund III will always have a special place in the hearts of Sharks fans for his role in bringing the team to San Jose," the Sharks' ownership group said in a statement. "His love for the Sharks and the game of hockey cannot be captured in words. George was a trailblazer and he knew that NHL hockey could not only survive, but thrive in the Bay Area. The Sharks organization will always serve as a proud reminder of George's passion. He will be greatly missed and our condolences are with his family."
The team announced that players will wear a helmet decal and jersey patch with Gund's initials: GG III.
Gund, who was honored with the Lester Patrick Award for contributions to hockey in the United States in 1996, also was a lifelong philanthropist who, along with his wife, Iara, created the Iara Lee and George Gund III Foundation. Gund also continued the work of the George Gund Foundation, which had been created in 1952 with the sole purpose of contributing to human well-being and the progress of society.
"It's a sad day for hockey and for San Jose," Sharks general manager Doug Wilson said. "George was a wonderful person and a great ambassador for the game of hockey, which he truly loved. Everyone who had the privilege of playing or working for him has a heavy heart today. None of us would be here without him."
Former Sharks president and CEO Greg Jamison said, "George was a true renaissance man. He was a world-renowned global traveler, and he loved to watch hockey being played at all levels across the world. I have an immense amount of respect for what he accomplished and what the Sharks meant to him. Along with my wife, Vicki, our thoughts and prayers go out to George's family."
Original San Jose Sharks owner George Gund III dies - NHL-com - News
Gund and his brother, Gordon, relinquished their ownership stake in the Minnesota North Stars in 1990 in exchange for the rights to an expansion team for Northern California. The San Jose Sharks made their NHL debut on Oct. 4, 1991.
In addition to the Sharks and North Stars, Gund -- a longtime resident of California's Bay Area -- also held ownership stakes in the California Golden Seals and Cleveland Barons, as well as the Cleveland Cavaliers of the NBA. "George Gund was certain the National Hockey League could flourish in the Silicon Valley, and the strength of the Sharks franchise today was built on the foundation George created for it," NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said in a statement. "Of his many interests in a life of art, of philanthropy and entrepreneurship, George's devoted support of hockey was frequently at the forefront.
"The NHL sends condolences to his loved ones."
The Gunds owned the Sharks until 2002, when they sold the franchise to Sharks Sports and Entertainment, which continues to own the team.
"George Gund III will always have a special place in the hearts of Sharks fans for his role in bringing the team to San Jose," the Sharks' ownership group said in a statement. "His love for the Sharks and the game of hockey cannot be captured in words. George was a trailblazer and he knew that NHL hockey could not only survive, but thrive in the Bay Area. The Sharks organization will always serve as a proud reminder of George's passion. He will be greatly missed and our condolences are with his family."
The team announced that players will wear a helmet decal and jersey patch with Gund's initials: GG III.
Gund, who was honored with the Lester Patrick Award for contributions to hockey in the United States in 1996, also was a lifelong philanthropist who, along with his wife, Iara, created the Iara Lee and George Gund III Foundation. Gund also continued the work of the George Gund Foundation, which had been created in 1952 with the sole purpose of contributing to human well-being and the progress of society.
"It's a sad day for hockey and for San Jose," Sharks general manager Doug Wilson said. "George was a wonderful person and a great ambassador for the game of hockey, which he truly loved. Everyone who had the privilege of playing or working for him has a heavy heart today. None of us would be here without him."
Former Sharks president and CEO Greg Jamison said, "George was a true renaissance man. He was a world-renowned global traveler, and he loved to watch hockey being played at all levels across the world. I have an immense amount of respect for what he accomplished and what the Sharks meant to him. Along with my wife, Vicki, our thoughts and prayers go out to George's family."
Original San Jose Sharks owner George Gund III dies - NHL-com - News
Join:
2006/12/07
Messages:
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Ryan Murphy was given a mulligan entering his second National Hockey League training camp.
The highly touted defenceman took to the ice Sunday in Raleigh, N.C., with other Hurricanes hopefuls, eight days after his overtime gaffe led to a goal by Russia’s Valeri Nichushkin and a lost bronze medal for Murphy and his Canadian teammates at the world junior hockey championship in Ufa, Russia.
Sitting thousands of kilometres away in North America on that Jan. 5 morning was Hurricanes general manager Jim Rutherford, who wasn’t about to lay blame solely on Murphy, whom Carolina drafted 12th overall in 2011.
On the play, Nichushkin skated hard down the wing and blew by Murphy just inside Canada’s blue-line before driving to the net and sliding the puck between the post and the skate of Canadian goaltender Malcolm Subban 96 seconds into the extra period for a 6-5 win.
“That can happen to any defenceman in our league,” Rutherford said over the phone. “You can break down that goal and that wasn’t the only thing that happened. There were three or four things that happened that wasn’t just Ryan.
“Clearly, when you’re a highly skilled offensive guy [like Murphy] the defensive part doesn’t usually come in the early stages of your pro career.”
Canadian head coach Steve Spott, while noting Murphy elevated his play in the bronze medal contest, was less forgiving when discussing Murphy’s decision not to take the body against Nichushkin.
“I’m not speaking out of turn,” said Spott, who has coached Murphy the past three-plus seasons in the Ontario Hockey League with the Kitchener Rangers. “That is an area of his game that he has to continue working at, that against bigger, stronger competition, he has to prove that he’s not a liability defensively five-on-five and four-on-four.”
Risk management
Eliminating risk from his game, the coach added, will be Murphy’s biggest challenge at a one-week NHL training camp.
After the Hurricanes returned Murphy to junior four games into last season, the blue-liner realized he needed to work harder in one-on-one situations and has followed through with the Rangers.
Spott said Murphy has more respect for the OHL and his opponents, and has learned he can’t recover if he makes a mistake at a higher level of hockey.
“It’s a different game [in the NHL]. The guys are stronger and a heck of a lot faster, so strength definitely plays a big role when you’re playing against NHL players,” said the five-foot-11 Murphy, a native of Aurora, Ont. A shy and nervous 18-year-old at his first NHL camp, Murphy arrived in North Carolina this week with a different mentality and game plan. He also weighs 180 pounds, or four pounds heavier than his previous tryout.
“I am a bit bigger and stronger than I was last year,” he said. “At the same time, if I’m in the corner with [six-foot-three, 230-pound forward] Milan Lucic [of the Boston Bruins], he can out-battle a lot of guys in the league. I still have to use my speed and agility to try and win that battle over my physical appearance.
“I’ll do anything it takes to have a spot on that team. I’m confident."
Murphy’s speed and offensive game rarely have been questioned in junior but have been challenged this season while adjusting to a different role of defending the opposition’s top forward line rather than the second and third units.
At this year’s world juniors, Rutherford wondered if Murphy was confused about whether Spott and the coaching staff wanted him to be an offensive force or take a more conservative approach. In December 2011, Canadian coach Don Hay cut Murphy at the world junior selection camp after the player failed to meet the demands to play a more defensive style.
One direction
To that end, Rutherford said he planned to give Murphy a direction of what kind of player the Hurricanes believe he is when he arrived at camp.
As for how a shortened NHL season might affect near-ready prospects, Murphy has mixed feelings. He believes he might be in better game shape than players who didn’t play in Europe or in the American Hockey League during the lockout. On the flip side, Murphy isn’t sure what team would want to use up a year of his entry-level contract (reportedly worth $832,500 US) on a 48-game schedule.
Rutherford admitted NHL teams won’t be afforded the opportunity to “experiment” with top prospects in a shortened season, but said if Murphy shows he can contribute to the Hurricanes he’ll be in the lineup.
However, it could prove a difficult path, given Carolina’s depth on the blue-line. Rutherford re-acquired Joe Corvo after dealing him to Boston in July 2011. He joins returnees Joni Pitkanen, Tim Gleason, Jay Harrison and Jamie McBain along with 20-year-old sophomore Justin Faulk, who has posted 24 points in 31 games this season in the AHL with the Charlotte Checkers.
Rutherford also raved about the progress of Bobby Sanguinetti, a New York Rangers first-round pick in 2006 whom the Hurricanes traded for in June 2010. The 24-year-old has followed up his best AHL campaign (50 points) with 21 points in 36 contests this year.
“He’s really come into his own this year,” said Rutherford of Sanguinetti. “Earlier in his pro career he struggled with injuries [but] he’s played extremely well in Charlotte the first half of the year.”
Spott said it’ll be up to Murphy to show Hurricanes head coach Kirk Muller he’s as good as or better than Sanguinetti and the other AHLers.
“It’s going to be very, very important for Ryan to show that he not only can create the offence he’s expected to create but be safe defensively and be risk-free defensively,” said Spott. “If he can do that, I think he has an opportunity to contribute and play [in Carolina] this year."
Confident Ryan Murphy ready for NHL
The highly touted defenceman took to the ice Sunday in Raleigh, N.C., with other Hurricanes hopefuls, eight days after his overtime gaffe led to a goal by Russia’s Valeri Nichushkin and a lost bronze medal for Murphy and his Canadian teammates at the world junior hockey championship in Ufa, Russia.
Sitting thousands of kilometres away in North America on that Jan. 5 morning was Hurricanes general manager Jim Rutherford, who wasn’t about to lay blame solely on Murphy, whom Carolina drafted 12th overall in 2011.
On the play, Nichushkin skated hard down the wing and blew by Murphy just inside Canada’s blue-line before driving to the net and sliding the puck between the post and the skate of Canadian goaltender Malcolm Subban 96 seconds into the extra period for a 6-5 win.
“That can happen to any defenceman in our league,” Rutherford said over the phone. “You can break down that goal and that wasn’t the only thing that happened. There were three or four things that happened that wasn’t just Ryan.
“Clearly, when you’re a highly skilled offensive guy [like Murphy] the defensive part doesn’t usually come in the early stages of your pro career.”
Canadian head coach Steve Spott, while noting Murphy elevated his play in the bronze medal contest, was less forgiving when discussing Murphy’s decision not to take the body against Nichushkin.
“I’m not speaking out of turn,” said Spott, who has coached Murphy the past three-plus seasons in the Ontario Hockey League with the Kitchener Rangers. “That is an area of his game that he has to continue working at, that against bigger, stronger competition, he has to prove that he’s not a liability defensively five-on-five and four-on-four.”
Risk management
Eliminating risk from his game, the coach added, will be Murphy’s biggest challenge at a one-week NHL training camp.
After the Hurricanes returned Murphy to junior four games into last season, the blue-liner realized he needed to work harder in one-on-one situations and has followed through with the Rangers.
Spott said Murphy has more respect for the OHL and his opponents, and has learned he can’t recover if he makes a mistake at a higher level of hockey.
“It’s a different game [in the NHL]. The guys are stronger and a heck of a lot faster, so strength definitely plays a big role when you’re playing against NHL players,” said the five-foot-11 Murphy, a native of Aurora, Ont. A shy and nervous 18-year-old at his first NHL camp, Murphy arrived in North Carolina this week with a different mentality and game plan. He also weighs 180 pounds, or four pounds heavier than his previous tryout.
“I am a bit bigger and stronger than I was last year,” he said. “At the same time, if I’m in the corner with [six-foot-three, 230-pound forward] Milan Lucic [of the Boston Bruins], he can out-battle a lot of guys in the league. I still have to use my speed and agility to try and win that battle over my physical appearance.
“I’ll do anything it takes to have a spot on that team. I’m confident."
Murphy’s speed and offensive game rarely have been questioned in junior but have been challenged this season while adjusting to a different role of defending the opposition’s top forward line rather than the second and third units.
At this year’s world juniors, Rutherford wondered if Murphy was confused about whether Spott and the coaching staff wanted him to be an offensive force or take a more conservative approach. In December 2011, Canadian coach Don Hay cut Murphy at the world junior selection camp after the player failed to meet the demands to play a more defensive style.
One direction
To that end, Rutherford said he planned to give Murphy a direction of what kind of player the Hurricanes believe he is when he arrived at camp.
As for how a shortened NHL season might affect near-ready prospects, Murphy has mixed feelings. He believes he might be in better game shape than players who didn’t play in Europe or in the American Hockey League during the lockout. On the flip side, Murphy isn’t sure what team would want to use up a year of his entry-level contract (reportedly worth $832,500 US) on a 48-game schedule.
Rutherford admitted NHL teams won’t be afforded the opportunity to “experiment” with top prospects in a shortened season, but said if Murphy shows he can contribute to the Hurricanes he’ll be in the lineup.
However, it could prove a difficult path, given Carolina’s depth on the blue-line. Rutherford re-acquired Joe Corvo after dealing him to Boston in July 2011. He joins returnees Joni Pitkanen, Tim Gleason, Jay Harrison and Jamie McBain along with 20-year-old sophomore Justin Faulk, who has posted 24 points in 31 games this season in the AHL with the Charlotte Checkers.
Rutherford also raved about the progress of Bobby Sanguinetti, a New York Rangers first-round pick in 2006 whom the Hurricanes traded for in June 2010. The 24-year-old has followed up his best AHL campaign (50 points) with 21 points in 36 contests this year.
“He’s really come into his own this year,” said Rutherford of Sanguinetti. “Earlier in his pro career he struggled with injuries [but] he’s played extremely well in Charlotte the first half of the year.”
Spott said it’ll be up to Murphy to show Hurricanes head coach Kirk Muller he’s as good as or better than Sanguinetti and the other AHLers.
“It’s going to be very, very important for Ryan to show that he not only can create the offence he’s expected to create but be safe defensively and be risk-free defensively,” said Spott. “If he can do that, I think he has an opportunity to contribute and play [in Carolina] this year."
Confident Ryan Murphy ready for NHL
Join:
2006/12/07
Messages:
29893
With hockey set to return after a four-month lockout, the NHL is apologizing again.
Echoing last week's remarks by commissioner Gary Bettman, the NHL is using full-page newspaper ads Thursday to tell fans it's sorry for the lockout that delayed the season and trimmed the schedule from 82 games to 48. The season starts Saturday.
The ad says: "Like you, we've missed NHL hockey."
The league is thanking fans for their patience and apologizing for the lost games. The ad says the league is "committed to earning back your trust and support" with "hard work and unwavering dedication."
The ad is running in about 40 newspapers across the United States and Canada. It appears in at least one newspaper in each of the NHL's 30 team markets as well as a handful of national papers in the two countries.
Echoing last week's remarks by commissioner Gary Bettman, the NHL is using full-page newspaper ads Thursday to tell fans it's sorry for the lockout that delayed the season and trimmed the schedule from 82 games to 48. The season starts Saturday.
The ad says: "Like you, we've missed NHL hockey."
The league is thanking fans for their patience and apologizing for the lost games. The ad says the league is "committed to earning back your trust and support" with "hard work and unwavering dedication."
The ad is running in about 40 newspapers across the United States and Canada. It appears in at least one newspaper in each of the NHL's 30 team markets as well as a handful of national papers in the two countries.
Join:
2006/12/07
Messages:
29893
When Maple Leafs defenceman John-Michael Liles was an NHL rookie, he had duties beyond the ice.
This was because Liles’s roommate on road trips was Joe Sakic, the revered forward whose seat near the top of hockey’s hierarchy accustomed him to deferential treatment. Sakic’s younger bunkies on the Colorado Avalanche were required to hand over the TV remote on nights the team captain’s favourite show, American Idol, was airing. They were also expected to close the curtains before bed, answer the door for room service, and carry the tray to Sakic’s lap so he could enjoy his breakfast in bed.
“Make ’em work,” Sakic used to say.
Beyond the free labour, Liles extracted value.
“It wasn’t so much me looking after him — he was looking after me,” Liles, now a ninth-year veteran, was saying this week from Maple Leafs’ training camp. “As a young kid, learning from him and taking a lot of notes about how he took care of himself, it was impressive to watch. It definitely helped me learn how to be a pro.”
There is likely to be less such veteran-rookie bonding when the NHL’s truncated season begins Saturday. If the league’s new collective bargaining agreement made headlines for shrinking the players’ salaries, one of its lesser-explored provisions expanded their personal space. The pact ensures most NHLers will get their own room on road trips.
Previously, the privilege of single occupancy was reserved for those who had played 600 games or logged 10 years of service. Now, only youngsters on their entry-level contracts will be assigned a roomie. The rest of the squad will be free to luxuriate alone in five-star sanctums.
“It’s going to be an adjustment for me. I’ve always had a roommate since college,” said Tyler Bozak, Toronto’s fourth-year centreman. “I can’t tell you if I like it or not. I think most guys enjoy being on their own. I think I’m going to like it more, but I actually never minded having a roommate.”
Hockey is among the last of the big-money pro sports to cling to the roommate culture. NBA players have been living solo at the Ritz for years now. Ditto Major League Baseball’s denizens. The NFL still pairs some players in rooms, but football’s eight-game regular-season road schedule is unique.
NHL players usually play 41 regular-season road games, although they will play just 24 in the impending lockout-shortened campaign. A spokesman for the players’ association said the union pushed for more single rooms in the new CBA in part because singles are the standard for business travellers in most industries.
“And let’s face it, it’s quieter,” Rob Blake, the former NHLer, once said.
Hockey isn’t most industries, mind you. And there are those who will sentimentalize the near-disappearance of a time-honoured part of the game’s road culture.
In the past, there’ve been Maple Leafs who’ve eschewed the single-room option for closer quarters. Darcy Tucker and Bryan McCabe, the ex-Leafs, were best friends and continued to be roomies well after they’d earned the right to a room apiece. Eric Lindros continued to request roommates after he’d passed the single-room threshold, and when he finally exercised his right to privacy, he said he lived to regret it.
“I don’t know if it was the best move I made. It was kind of boring being alone,” Lindros said. “There’s a bond there. I had some great roommates, the cream of the crop. Dave Brown, Keith Acton, Craig MacTavish — you learn a lot just listening and following along.”
Still, for some, the listening is part is the problem. The game’s lore is littered with tales of insomniacs whose restlessness deprived roommates of untold shuteye. Ken Klee, the former Leaf, once complained that Gary Roberts snored “like a freight train.” Roberts’s renowned log-sawing was disturbing enough that even his lifelong friend Joe Nieuwendyk decided he couldn’t sleep in the same room.
Scotty Bowman, who coached nine Stanley Cup teams, had a simple solution to drown out the noise.
“We try and put the two guys who snore together,” Bowman has said. “Whoever gets to sleep first has the edge.”
GMs, too, have strategized about roommate matchups. John Ferguson Jr., the former Leafs executive, once mandated that a young forward named Matt Stajan room with Nieuwendyk; he reasoned that the latter’s Hall of Fame-bound wisdom might rub off on a developing hockey mind.
“There’s a great deal of mentorship available in a situation like that,” Ferguson said at the time.
The Maple Leafs swooned under Ferguson, of course. So perhaps it will help the club to forego some mentorship in return for fewer nights spent counting sheep. For Liles, the single-room life can’t some soon enough.
“I’m a light sleeper. If I wake up in the middle of the night and the guy is snoring, I can’t get back to sleep,” Liles said.
“Finally, I can relax.”
NHL
This was because Liles’s roommate on road trips was Joe Sakic, the revered forward whose seat near the top of hockey’s hierarchy accustomed him to deferential treatment. Sakic’s younger bunkies on the Colorado Avalanche were required to hand over the TV remote on nights the team captain’s favourite show, American Idol, was airing. They were also expected to close the curtains before bed, answer the door for room service, and carry the tray to Sakic’s lap so he could enjoy his breakfast in bed.
“Make ’em work,” Sakic used to say.
Beyond the free labour, Liles extracted value.
“It wasn’t so much me looking after him — he was looking after me,” Liles, now a ninth-year veteran, was saying this week from Maple Leafs’ training camp. “As a young kid, learning from him and taking a lot of notes about how he took care of himself, it was impressive to watch. It definitely helped me learn how to be a pro.”
There is likely to be less such veteran-rookie bonding when the NHL’s truncated season begins Saturday. If the league’s new collective bargaining agreement made headlines for shrinking the players’ salaries, one of its lesser-explored provisions expanded their personal space. The pact ensures most NHLers will get their own room on road trips.
Previously, the privilege of single occupancy was reserved for those who had played 600 games or logged 10 years of service. Now, only youngsters on their entry-level contracts will be assigned a roomie. The rest of the squad will be free to luxuriate alone in five-star sanctums.
“It’s going to be an adjustment for me. I’ve always had a roommate since college,” said Tyler Bozak, Toronto’s fourth-year centreman. “I can’t tell you if I like it or not. I think most guys enjoy being on their own. I think I’m going to like it more, but I actually never minded having a roommate.”
Hockey is among the last of the big-money pro sports to cling to the roommate culture. NBA players have been living solo at the Ritz for years now. Ditto Major League Baseball’s denizens. The NFL still pairs some players in rooms, but football’s eight-game regular-season road schedule is unique.
NHL players usually play 41 regular-season road games, although they will play just 24 in the impending lockout-shortened campaign. A spokesman for the players’ association said the union pushed for more single rooms in the new CBA in part because singles are the standard for business travellers in most industries.
“And let’s face it, it’s quieter,” Rob Blake, the former NHLer, once said.
Hockey isn’t most industries, mind you. And there are those who will sentimentalize the near-disappearance of a time-honoured part of the game’s road culture.
In the past, there’ve been Maple Leafs who’ve eschewed the single-room option for closer quarters. Darcy Tucker and Bryan McCabe, the ex-Leafs, were best friends and continued to be roomies well after they’d earned the right to a room apiece. Eric Lindros continued to request roommates after he’d passed the single-room threshold, and when he finally exercised his right to privacy, he said he lived to regret it.
“I don’t know if it was the best move I made. It was kind of boring being alone,” Lindros said. “There’s a bond there. I had some great roommates, the cream of the crop. Dave Brown, Keith Acton, Craig MacTavish — you learn a lot just listening and following along.”
Still, for some, the listening is part is the problem. The game’s lore is littered with tales of insomniacs whose restlessness deprived roommates of untold shuteye. Ken Klee, the former Leaf, once complained that Gary Roberts snored “like a freight train.” Roberts’s renowned log-sawing was disturbing enough that even his lifelong friend Joe Nieuwendyk decided he couldn’t sleep in the same room.
Scotty Bowman, who coached nine Stanley Cup teams, had a simple solution to drown out the noise.
“We try and put the two guys who snore together,” Bowman has said. “Whoever gets to sleep first has the edge.”
GMs, too, have strategized about roommate matchups. John Ferguson Jr., the former Leafs executive, once mandated that a young forward named Matt Stajan room with Nieuwendyk; he reasoned that the latter’s Hall of Fame-bound wisdom might rub off on a developing hockey mind.
“There’s a great deal of mentorship available in a situation like that,” Ferguson said at the time.
The Maple Leafs swooned under Ferguson, of course. So perhaps it will help the club to forego some mentorship in return for fewer nights spent counting sheep. For Liles, the single-room life can’t some soon enough.
“I’m a light sleeper. If I wake up in the middle of the night and the guy is snoring, I can’t get back to sleep,” Liles said.
“Finally, I can relax.”
NHL
Join:
2006/12/07
Messages:
29893
Hockey fans across Canada welcomed the return of the NHL today, as the puck dropped on a season that has been shortened by a four-month-old lockout.
NHL players returned to the ice on Saturday, following a 113-day lockout that pitted the league against its players and threatened to wipe out the whole season.
Relief that hockey is back could be felt across Canada and even in space, where Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield shared a photograph of Toronto from the International Space Station.
"I see the lights of Toronto, home of my favourite team," Hadfield posted on Twitter on Saturday afternoon. He also had a request for NHL fans: "I won't get to see the Leafs-Habs game on the Space Station until it's sent up to me tomorrow," he wrote.
"Can you keep the score a secret?"
Earlier on Saturday, fans in Winnipeg converged upon the city's downtown to watch the Jets host the Ottawa Senators at the MTS Centre.
"I just spent $200 on tickets and stuff," said Paul Andersen, who bought a tie, picture frame, trading card and other goods at the Jets' official store that morning.
Andersen said he expects to spend roughly $500 before, during and after the game.
"Yeah, it'll be good," he said. "I've been waiting since August for this."
The Winnipeg Jets thanked their fans by offering 50 per cent discounts on food and drinks during the game, in which the Senators defeated the home team 4-1.
The Jets-Senators game was the first Canadian match-up of the lockout-shortened season, and the first to be broadcast on Hockey Night in Canada's 60th season.
Lockout 'depressing' for Vancouver's Green Men
The Montreal Canadiens hosted the Toronto Maple Leafs starting at 7 p.m. ET. The Leafs won their season opener 2-1.
The game was followed by the Anaheim Ducks taking on the Vancouver Canucks at the Rogers Arena at 10 p.m. ET. The Canucks lost their first game of the season by a score of 7-3.
In Vancouver, two of Canada's most "visible" hockey fans — the infamous Green Men, nicknamed Sully and Force — had donned their green body suits and were ready to mock any Anaheim player who ended up in the penalty box on Saturday night.
"I didn't do much — drank a lot of beer, gained some weight, hibernation," Force said, when asked what he did during the lockout.
"It was a depressing time for the Green Men."
Force said he believes Canucks fans have forgiven the team and pretty much forgotten the lockout.
"Everyone pretended to be angry for two days, posting messages to social media saying, 'I won't watch the games,'" he said.
"But based on the feeds on our Twitter and everywhere else, everyone's pumped."
'It's never going to go away'
There has been some talk by angry fans of boycotts in response to the NHL lockout.
In Winnipeg, a small group of fans staged a "mock" protest outside the MTS Centre on Saturday to decry what they describe as greed in the NHL.
But that anger has not been evident for the most part across the country, including in Montreal, where Canadiens fans showed up just to watch the team practice earlier this week. "It's hockey, it's Canada. It's never going to go away," Habs fan Darren Clifton said Saturday.
"Last Saturday, I bought the tickets right away at 11:30 a.m.," said his friend, Cody. "[I paid] over a grand."
Bob Wilson, a Toronto Maple Leafs fan in Montreal, said it was nice for the Leafs to open their practice to the public to watch.
"It's tough for a [Leafs fan] here. In the Bell Centre, it's fine. You can feel the tension sometimes," he said.
In Calgary, fans of all ages were treated to free food and pop, as well as discounts on merchandise, as they watched the Flames practise Friday morning at the Scotiabank Saddledome.
"I'm just so happy. It's sad that it's only half [a] season, but as long as they get to play," said Hayley MacKay, a Flames fan who watched Friday's practice.
The Flames held one more short practice on Saturday in preparation for Sunday's home opener against the San Jose Sharks.
A number of the NHL's U.S. teams also faced off on Saturday.
Hockey fans celebrate as NHL season launches - Manitoba - CBC News
NHL players returned to the ice on Saturday, following a 113-day lockout that pitted the league against its players and threatened to wipe out the whole season.
Relief that hockey is back could be felt across Canada and even in space, where Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield shared a photograph of Toronto from the International Space Station.
"I see the lights of Toronto, home of my favourite team," Hadfield posted on Twitter on Saturday afternoon. He also had a request for NHL fans: "I won't get to see the Leafs-Habs game on the Space Station until it's sent up to me tomorrow," he wrote.
"Can you keep the score a secret?"
Earlier on Saturday, fans in Winnipeg converged upon the city's downtown to watch the Jets host the Ottawa Senators at the MTS Centre.
"I just spent $200 on tickets and stuff," said Paul Andersen, who bought a tie, picture frame, trading card and other goods at the Jets' official store that morning.
Andersen said he expects to spend roughly $500 before, during and after the game.
"Yeah, it'll be good," he said. "I've been waiting since August for this."
The Winnipeg Jets thanked their fans by offering 50 per cent discounts on food and drinks during the game, in which the Senators defeated the home team 4-1.
The Jets-Senators game was the first Canadian match-up of the lockout-shortened season, and the first to be broadcast on Hockey Night in Canada's 60th season.
Lockout 'depressing' for Vancouver's Green Men
The Montreal Canadiens hosted the Toronto Maple Leafs starting at 7 p.m. ET. The Leafs won their season opener 2-1.
The game was followed by the Anaheim Ducks taking on the Vancouver Canucks at the Rogers Arena at 10 p.m. ET. The Canucks lost their first game of the season by a score of 7-3.
In Vancouver, two of Canada's most "visible" hockey fans — the infamous Green Men, nicknamed Sully and Force — had donned their green body suits and were ready to mock any Anaheim player who ended up in the penalty box on Saturday night.
"I didn't do much — drank a lot of beer, gained some weight, hibernation," Force said, when asked what he did during the lockout.
"It was a depressing time for the Green Men."
Force said he believes Canucks fans have forgiven the team and pretty much forgotten the lockout.
"Everyone pretended to be angry for two days, posting messages to social media saying, 'I won't watch the games,'" he said.
"But based on the feeds on our Twitter and everywhere else, everyone's pumped."
'It's never going to go away'
There has been some talk by angry fans of boycotts in response to the NHL lockout.
In Winnipeg, a small group of fans staged a "mock" protest outside the MTS Centre on Saturday to decry what they describe as greed in the NHL.
But that anger has not been evident for the most part across the country, including in Montreal, where Canadiens fans showed up just to watch the team practice earlier this week. "It's hockey, it's Canada. It's never going to go away," Habs fan Darren Clifton said Saturday.
"Last Saturday, I bought the tickets right away at 11:30 a.m.," said his friend, Cody. "[I paid] over a grand."
Bob Wilson, a Toronto Maple Leafs fan in Montreal, said it was nice for the Leafs to open their practice to the public to watch.
"It's tough for a [Leafs fan] here. In the Bell Centre, it's fine. You can feel the tension sometimes," he said.
In Calgary, fans of all ages were treated to free food and pop, as well as discounts on merchandise, as they watched the Flames practise Friday morning at the Scotiabank Saddledome.
"I'm just so happy. It's sad that it's only half [a] season, but as long as they get to play," said Hayley MacKay, a Flames fan who watched Friday's practice.
The Flames held one more short practice on Saturday in preparation for Sunday's home opener against the San Jose Sharks.
A number of the NHL's U.S. teams also faced off on Saturday.
Hockey fans celebrate as NHL season launches - Manitoba - CBC News
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2006/12/07
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29893
The NHL and its fans have kissed and made up.
Eight days after the end of an ugly, 119-day lockout, the league's once-angry fans are embracing the NHL as if all is forgiven. The first 17 home openers were sellouts, and the crowd size was up in nine markets.
"We appreciate and are gratified by the response we have received from our fans," NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman told USA TODAY Sports on Sunday. "The attendance numbers and TV ratings once again demonstrate the passion of NHL fans. It is a testament to the players and the teams and the ways we all have tried to reach out."
NBC announced Sunday that its coverage of Saturday's opening day received a 2.0 overnight rating, the highest overnight rating for regular-season coverage, excluding the Winter Classic, the NHL has seen in 11 years. The numbers were up 67% from the 2011-12 regular-season average.
The Pittsburgh area posted a 19.4 local rating for the NBC coverage, a regular-season best. Philadelphia (7.8) and Chicago (6.6) also had their best all-time ratings on NBC.
"Penguins fans are phenomenal," Penguins CEO David Morehouse said. "Just when we think they can't amaze us any more, they do. That includes more than 18,000 for a free scrimmage on Wednesday night. We are so fortunate to have this kind of fan support. Pittsburgh will always be a football town but I think it's becoming obvious that it's also a hockey town."
Bettman made a public apology to fans after a new collective bargaining agreement was reached, and teams have tried to reach out to fans with special promotions. Sunday in Buffalo, players were in the lobby to greet fans entering the arena.
Though the general fan reaction has been positive, there has been minor fan backlash, Abeed Bawa said he was taking the year off from attending NHL games.
"As a displaced Thrashers fan, I jumped aboard the Nashville Predators," Bawa said. "They did a wonderful job reaching out to Thrashers fans, and they are very welcoming and passionate. We were (done wrong) by the NHL with the way they did absolutely nothing to keep the Thrashers from relocating. (With the) second lockout in eight years, the NHL has quickly reduced itself to a garage league.
"The most I will do is watch games on TV if they are broadcast, but I have canceled my subscription to NHL GameCenter. The NHL does not deserve any money from me this year."
San Jose Sharks fan Janice Dressler said she has not forgiven Bettman. "And I'm not sure I ever will," she added.
But she says she is thrilled to have the NHL back. "I love Hockey Night in Canada and always watch that," Dressler said. "So I'll be glad to have that every Saturday night."
Philadelphia Flyers fan Steve Bogucki never doubted that regular fans would return.
"We are a different breed," he said. "I don't think the NHL has fans and 'hard-core' fans. All of its fans are hard-core fans."
Players are saying it might take them a couple of weeks to regain sharpness. There has been more offense than had been expected. In 12 of the first 19 games, the winning team had four or more goals. In the first 19 games, there were as many three-point performances (14) as there were in 42 last season.
Said Bettman, "This should be an incredibly competitive season in which every game matters."
Team
2012-13 2011-12
Philadelphia
19,994 19,632
Los Angeles
18,545 18,118
Montreal
21,273 21,273
Tampa Bay
19,204 19,204
St. Louis
20,035 19,150
Dallas
18,532 15,285
Vancouver
18,910 18,860
Minnesota
19,298 19,040
Nashville
17,113 17,113
Florida
19,688 18,352
N.Y. Islanders-1
16,170 16,234
Boston
17,565 17,565
Winnipeg
15,004 15,004
Buffalo
19,070 18,690
Phoenix
17,363 17,125
N.Y. Rangers-1
17,200 18,200
Calgary
19,289 19,289
1-Arena has smaller capacity this season
Fans flock to the NHL in sold-out openers
Eight days after the end of an ugly, 119-day lockout, the league's once-angry fans are embracing the NHL as if all is forgiven. The first 17 home openers were sellouts, and the crowd size was up in nine markets.
"We appreciate and are gratified by the response we have received from our fans," NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman told USA TODAY Sports on Sunday. "The attendance numbers and TV ratings once again demonstrate the passion of NHL fans. It is a testament to the players and the teams and the ways we all have tried to reach out."
NBC announced Sunday that its coverage of Saturday's opening day received a 2.0 overnight rating, the highest overnight rating for regular-season coverage, excluding the Winter Classic, the NHL has seen in 11 years. The numbers were up 67% from the 2011-12 regular-season average.
The Pittsburgh area posted a 19.4 local rating for the NBC coverage, a regular-season best. Philadelphia (7.8) and Chicago (6.6) also had their best all-time ratings on NBC.
"Penguins fans are phenomenal," Penguins CEO David Morehouse said. "Just when we think they can't amaze us any more, they do. That includes more than 18,000 for a free scrimmage on Wednesday night. We are so fortunate to have this kind of fan support. Pittsburgh will always be a football town but I think it's becoming obvious that it's also a hockey town."
Bettman made a public apology to fans after a new collective bargaining agreement was reached, and teams have tried to reach out to fans with special promotions. Sunday in Buffalo, players were in the lobby to greet fans entering the arena.
Though the general fan reaction has been positive, there has been minor fan backlash, Abeed Bawa said he was taking the year off from attending NHL games.
"As a displaced Thrashers fan, I jumped aboard the Nashville Predators," Bawa said. "They did a wonderful job reaching out to Thrashers fans, and they are very welcoming and passionate. We were (done wrong) by the NHL with the way they did absolutely nothing to keep the Thrashers from relocating. (With the) second lockout in eight years, the NHL has quickly reduced itself to a garage league.
"The most I will do is watch games on TV if they are broadcast, but I have canceled my subscription to NHL GameCenter. The NHL does not deserve any money from me this year."
San Jose Sharks fan Janice Dressler said she has not forgiven Bettman. "And I'm not sure I ever will," she added.
But she says she is thrilled to have the NHL back. "I love Hockey Night in Canada and always watch that," Dressler said. "So I'll be glad to have that every Saturday night."
Philadelphia Flyers fan Steve Bogucki never doubted that regular fans would return.
"We are a different breed," he said. "I don't think the NHL has fans and 'hard-core' fans. All of its fans are hard-core fans."
Players are saying it might take them a couple of weeks to regain sharpness. There has been more offense than had been expected. In 12 of the first 19 games, the winning team had four or more goals. In the first 19 games, there were as many three-point performances (14) as there were in 42 last season.
Said Bettman, "This should be an incredibly competitive season in which every game matters."
Team
2012-13 2011-12
Philadelphia
19,994 19,632
Los Angeles
18,545 18,118
Montreal
21,273 21,273
Tampa Bay
19,204 19,204
St. Louis
20,035 19,150
Dallas
18,532 15,285
Vancouver
18,910 18,860
Minnesota
19,298 19,040
Nashville
17,113 17,113
Florida
19,688 18,352
N.Y. Islanders-1
16,170 16,234
Boston
17,565 17,565
Winnipeg
15,004 15,004
Buffalo
19,070 18,690
Phoenix
17,363 17,125
N.Y. Rangers-1
17,200 18,200
Calgary
19,289 19,289
1-Arena has smaller capacity this season
Fans flock to the NHL in sold-out openers
Join:
2006/12/07
Messages:
29893
Tomas Holmstrom will officially retire on Tuesday, according to NHL.com.
Holmstrom, who turns 40 on Wednesday, will announce his retirement at a 4:30 p.m. press conference before the Detroit Red Wings’ home opener against the Dallas Stars. Holmstrom spent all 15 seasons of his NHL career with the Red Wings, finishing with 243 goals and 530 points. He won four Stanley Cups while a member of the Red Wings.
Holmstrom spent the summer and most of the lockout mulling a return for a 16th season, but ultimately decided to retire as longtime teammate Nicklas Lidstrom did last summer.
"The interesting thing, for me, with Homer is—not a very good skater but was the quickest guy from the net front to the corner, back to the net front, that I've ever coached," coach Mike Babcock told the Detroit Free Press. "Competed to get to his spot, was a great, great, great teammate, great man. Very, very ultra-competitive. All the best players are ultra-competitive. And found a way to win four Stanley Cup championships and represent his country (Sweden), play I don't know how many games. Pretty impressive."
Players and former teammates are expected to attend the press conference, the Free Press notes.
Holmstrom, who turns 40 on Wednesday, will announce his retirement at a 4:30 p.m. press conference before the Detroit Red Wings’ home opener against the Dallas Stars. Holmstrom spent all 15 seasons of his NHL career with the Red Wings, finishing with 243 goals and 530 points. He won four Stanley Cups while a member of the Red Wings.
Holmstrom spent the summer and most of the lockout mulling a return for a 16th season, but ultimately decided to retire as longtime teammate Nicklas Lidstrom did last summer.
"The interesting thing, for me, with Homer is—not a very good skater but was the quickest guy from the net front to the corner, back to the net front, that I've ever coached," coach Mike Babcock told the Detroit Free Press. "Competed to get to his spot, was a great, great, great teammate, great man. Very, very ultra-competitive. All the best players are ultra-competitive. And found a way to win four Stanley Cup championships and represent his country (Sweden), play I don't know how many games. Pretty impressive."
Players and former teammates are expected to attend the press conference, the Free Press notes.
Join:
2006/12/07
Messages:
29893
It was hard to tell who was happier at Tuesday night’s Edmonton Oilers home opener against the San Jose Sharks — the players on the ice for their first home game in nine months, or the thousands of fans who packed Rexall Place to welcome them back after the National Hockey League lockout.
The sold-out crowd erupted in cheers as the Oilers skated onto the ice in-between two giant jerseys, a surprise from the team hoping to repair relationships with fans.
But as NHL hockey returned, any anger or bitterness over the 113-day labour dispute seemed misplaced. Fans forgave and forgot, instead expressing anticipation that the ritual of hockey had finally returned to Edmonton.
“I’m extremely excited. It’s been too long, I was in Oilers withdrawal,” said fan Paige Soetaert.
“I’m feeling good and am so glad it’s back,” said James Foster, who attended the game with his wife and 14-month-old son. “The lockout was tough. We’re just so used to watching hockey.”
Oilers alumni, including Sean Brown, handed out vouchers for a free opening-night beverage to fans as they entered Rexall Place.
Merchandise and food were also heavily discounted Tuesday night, and other freebies flowed as the Oilers worked to make amends to loyal fans.
“Everyone is excited to have hockey back. It’s long overdue and people have waited a long time for this,” Brown said.
“We’re ready for the roof to be blown off with all the noise,” said Chris Hiemstra, putting on a Ryan Nugent-Hopkins jersey he’d just purchased for 40 per cent off the regular price.
“I’m pretty excited to see all the young Oilers finally play,” said Hiemstra’s 10-year-old son Tristan.
Free tickets, tours of the locker-room, autographed jerseys and charitable giveaways were all up for grabs. They were part of a series of gestures that began more than a week ago with a shinny game at Hawrelak Park, followed by practices that were open to the public.
The creativity continued on Tuesday with the arrival of ice-encased Edmonton Oilers jerseys outside Rexall Place. An ice sculpture that read “Here come the Oilers” also greeted fans.
The 284-kilogram blocks, featuring jerseys from the current team’s roster, were melted after the puck dropped. The jerseys inside will be signed by the respective players and become prizes in a social media contest that requires people to Photoshop a player’s picture into a family photo.
Oilers president Patrick LaForge said while most teams were offering discounted food and merchandise, the Oilers wanted to do things differently.
“What do our fans love? They love the players, so what we’re doing is based on that,” he said.
So was it working; were the freebies enough to repair the trust of fans?
Sunny Parmar said while it’s nice the team is letting fans know it cares, he never had any intention of abandoning the Oilers.
“I’ve grown up with these guys. It’s a business and they had to do what they had to do and I understand that,” he said.
Tuesday night’s game came in what could be a milestone week for Oilers fans, with details being presented to city council Wednesday of a possible deal with the Katz Group for the construction of a downtown arena.
Mayor Stephen Mandel, city manager Simon Farbrother and Edmonton Oilers owner Daryl Katz apparently worked out the framework of an agreement last Friday during a meeting with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman.
Mayor Mandel hasn’t commented on the outcome or tone of the discussions, while LaForge, who didn’t attend Friday’s talks, said Monday he was told it was a good meeting and he is optimistic.
With or without a new arena, fans on Tuesday night were grinning from ear to ear.
“The lockout was very stressful for me. The Oilers are all I’ve known since I was a little kid, so it was heartbreaking,” said Mike Siber. “It’s so awesome they’re back.”
The sold-out crowd erupted in cheers as the Oilers skated onto the ice in-between two giant jerseys, a surprise from the team hoping to repair relationships with fans.
But as NHL hockey returned, any anger or bitterness over the 113-day labour dispute seemed misplaced. Fans forgave and forgot, instead expressing anticipation that the ritual of hockey had finally returned to Edmonton.
“I’m extremely excited. It’s been too long, I was in Oilers withdrawal,” said fan Paige Soetaert.
“I’m feeling good and am so glad it’s back,” said James Foster, who attended the game with his wife and 14-month-old son. “The lockout was tough. We’re just so used to watching hockey.”
Oilers alumni, including Sean Brown, handed out vouchers for a free opening-night beverage to fans as they entered Rexall Place.
Merchandise and food were also heavily discounted Tuesday night, and other freebies flowed as the Oilers worked to make amends to loyal fans.
“Everyone is excited to have hockey back. It’s long overdue and people have waited a long time for this,” Brown said.
“We’re ready for the roof to be blown off with all the noise,” said Chris Hiemstra, putting on a Ryan Nugent-Hopkins jersey he’d just purchased for 40 per cent off the regular price.
“I’m pretty excited to see all the young Oilers finally play,” said Hiemstra’s 10-year-old son Tristan.
Free tickets, tours of the locker-room, autographed jerseys and charitable giveaways were all up for grabs. They were part of a series of gestures that began more than a week ago with a shinny game at Hawrelak Park, followed by practices that were open to the public.
The creativity continued on Tuesday with the arrival of ice-encased Edmonton Oilers jerseys outside Rexall Place. An ice sculpture that read “Here come the Oilers” also greeted fans.
The 284-kilogram blocks, featuring jerseys from the current team’s roster, were melted after the puck dropped. The jerseys inside will be signed by the respective players and become prizes in a social media contest that requires people to Photoshop a player’s picture into a family photo.
Oilers president Patrick LaForge said while most teams were offering discounted food and merchandise, the Oilers wanted to do things differently.
“What do our fans love? They love the players, so what we’re doing is based on that,” he said.
So was it working; were the freebies enough to repair the trust of fans?
Sunny Parmar said while it’s nice the team is letting fans know it cares, he never had any intention of abandoning the Oilers.
“I’ve grown up with these guys. It’s a business and they had to do what they had to do and I understand that,” he said.
Tuesday night’s game came in what could be a milestone week for Oilers fans, with details being presented to city council Wednesday of a possible deal with the Katz Group for the construction of a downtown arena.
Mayor Stephen Mandel, city manager Simon Farbrother and Edmonton Oilers owner Daryl Katz apparently worked out the framework of an agreement last Friday during a meeting with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman.
Mayor Mandel hasn’t commented on the outcome or tone of the discussions, while LaForge, who didn’t attend Friday’s talks, said Monday he was told it was a good meeting and he is optimistic.
With or without a new arena, fans on Tuesday night were grinning from ear to ear.
“The lockout was very stressful for me. The Oilers are all I’ve known since I was a little kid, so it was heartbreaking,” said Mike Siber. “It’s so awesome they’re back.”
Join:
2006/12/07
Messages:
29893
At the close of business Wednesday, the NHL was anything but business as usual.
The defending Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings were winless, along with the Philadelphia Flyers and Washington Capitals, who reached the second round last season. The division-winning Vancouver Canucks, New York Rangers and Phoenix Coyotes didn't pick up wins until Wednesday night in their third games.
Every team, even those that are winning, seems to be trying to find its way after six to eight months away from competition.
"There are a lot of overtime games, shootout games and one-goal games," Detroit Red Wings general manager Ken Holland said. "With a 48-game schedule, it is going to be a dogfight in both conferences to make the playoffs."
The Nashville Predators are 1-0-2, and GM David Poile seems thankful to have a point in every game. "We could just as easily be 3-0 or 0-3," he said.
Injuries have already become a major factor, particularly for the 1-2 Red Wings, who haven't missed the playoffs since 1989-90. The Red Wings announced Wednesday that defenseman Ian White will be out a minimum of two weeks after having surgery to repair a deep cut above his knee, suffered in a 2-1 loss to Dallas Tuesday night. The Red Wings already were missing defensemen Carlo Colaiacovo (shoulder), Jonathan Ericsson (shoulder) and Jakob Kindl (groin). Up front, they are missing Todd Bertuzzi (flu), Mikael Samuelsson (groin) and Darren Helm (back). Kindl, Helm and Bertuzzi could return Friday. This is a team that was already trying to cope with the retirement of captain Nicklas Lidstrom.
"We've had a new lineup every single game, and the continuity just isn't there yet," Red Wings goalie Jimmy Howard said.
Many teams have key players out of the lineup. Colorado Avalanche forward Steve Downie will have season-ending knee surgery. Kings defenseman Matt Greene will have back surgery on Thursday and Willie Mitchell has yet to play because of a knee injury. Toronto Maple Leafs forward Joffrey Lupul suffered a broken forearm on Wednesday. Coyotes goalie Mike Smith left Wednesday's game with a lower-body injury and did not return. Florida Panthers forward Kris Versteeg has a groin injury, as does the Washington Capitals' Brooks Laich. Philadelphia's Danny Briere hurt his wrist in Germany during the lockout and the Flyers learned Wednesday that they would be without Brayden Schenn (one-game suspension) and Scott Hartnell (foot). Second-liners David Booth (groin) and Ryan Kesler (shoulder) are missing from the Canucks lineup. "The schedule is so taxing that it is probably logical to think that the injury factor might be greater than the past years, and I don't mean serious injuries," Poile said. "I mean the groin injuries that may take you out for a game or two."
Every coach is worried about the consequences of a slow start, believing that it will be a damning event in a conference-only format that is expected to have a multitude of three-point games because of parity and teams playing conservatively in the third period to gain a point by forcing overtime.
"Slow starts will hurt you if you have not stabilized things by Game 10," said NBC analyst Pierre McGuire, a former coach. "If your team still does not have an identity by Game 10, you are going to be in rough shape."
Poile was Capitals general manager in the 48-game 1994-95 season and his team recovered from a 2-6-2 start to make the playoffs. The New Jersey Devils started 0-3-1 and won the Stanley Cup. But the game has changed dramatically over the past 18 years.
"Teams will be able to do that," Poile said. "But it won't be many teams. You will have one or two teams that come from behind, but it won't be a lot. The biggest difference is that in 1994-95, we didn't have three-point games."
NHL teams off to unexpected slow starts
The defending Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings were winless, along with the Philadelphia Flyers and Washington Capitals, who reached the second round last season. The division-winning Vancouver Canucks, New York Rangers and Phoenix Coyotes didn't pick up wins until Wednesday night in their third games.
Every team, even those that are winning, seems to be trying to find its way after six to eight months away from competition.
"There are a lot of overtime games, shootout games and one-goal games," Detroit Red Wings general manager Ken Holland said. "With a 48-game schedule, it is going to be a dogfight in both conferences to make the playoffs."
The Nashville Predators are 1-0-2, and GM David Poile seems thankful to have a point in every game. "We could just as easily be 3-0 or 0-3," he said.
Injuries have already become a major factor, particularly for the 1-2 Red Wings, who haven't missed the playoffs since 1989-90. The Red Wings announced Wednesday that defenseman Ian White will be out a minimum of two weeks after having surgery to repair a deep cut above his knee, suffered in a 2-1 loss to Dallas Tuesday night. The Red Wings already were missing defensemen Carlo Colaiacovo (shoulder), Jonathan Ericsson (shoulder) and Jakob Kindl (groin). Up front, they are missing Todd Bertuzzi (flu), Mikael Samuelsson (groin) and Darren Helm (back). Kindl, Helm and Bertuzzi could return Friday. This is a team that was already trying to cope with the retirement of captain Nicklas Lidstrom.
"We've had a new lineup every single game, and the continuity just isn't there yet," Red Wings goalie Jimmy Howard said.
Many teams have key players out of the lineup. Colorado Avalanche forward Steve Downie will have season-ending knee surgery. Kings defenseman Matt Greene will have back surgery on Thursday and Willie Mitchell has yet to play because of a knee injury. Toronto Maple Leafs forward Joffrey Lupul suffered a broken forearm on Wednesday. Coyotes goalie Mike Smith left Wednesday's game with a lower-body injury and did not return. Florida Panthers forward Kris Versteeg has a groin injury, as does the Washington Capitals' Brooks Laich. Philadelphia's Danny Briere hurt his wrist in Germany during the lockout and the Flyers learned Wednesday that they would be without Brayden Schenn (one-game suspension) and Scott Hartnell (foot). Second-liners David Booth (groin) and Ryan Kesler (shoulder) are missing from the Canucks lineup. "The schedule is so taxing that it is probably logical to think that the injury factor might be greater than the past years, and I don't mean serious injuries," Poile said. "I mean the groin injuries that may take you out for a game or two."
Every coach is worried about the consequences of a slow start, believing that it will be a damning event in a conference-only format that is expected to have a multitude of three-point games because of parity and teams playing conservatively in the third period to gain a point by forcing overtime.
"Slow starts will hurt you if you have not stabilized things by Game 10," said NBC analyst Pierre McGuire, a former coach. "If your team still does not have an identity by Game 10, you are going to be in rough shape."
Poile was Capitals general manager in the 48-game 1994-95 season and his team recovered from a 2-6-2 start to make the playoffs. The New Jersey Devils started 0-3-1 and won the Stanley Cup. But the game has changed dramatically over the past 18 years.
"Teams will be able to do that," Poile said. "But it won't be many teams. You will have one or two teams that come from behind, but it won't be a lot. The biggest difference is that in 1994-95, we didn't have three-point games."
NHL teams off to unexpected slow starts
Join:
2006/12/07
Messages:
29893
BACK WHEN I lived in Toronto and the Maple Leafs still occasionally made the playoffs, I loved taking long walks on game nights and seeing if I could keep track of the score just by the sounds of the city. It wasn't exactly a challenge. When the Leafs scored, entire neighborhoods roared and swelled, as though the earth were rising beneath them. And when the other team scored, there was a different noise, a collective groaning that sounded, now, in my memories, like a sinking ship. That's how much hockey matters up here. It's in the air, and the most basic rhythms of our weeks and winters are dictated by it.
For the second time since 2005, that rhythm, at least the part for which the NHL is responsible, was silenced. A settlement between the owners and players was reached before the entire season was lost, but these very rich men still took our hearts to the brink. Now the players have been retrieved from their plushy exiles in Geneva and Prague and Vienna, and the owners have their hobby farms to mind again. HOCKEY IS BACK, my Saturday nights are screaming, Canada lit once more by the screens of a million TVs glowing white through frosted windows.
And yet I can't help wishing it were still quiet and still dark. The NHL is not hockey. It is a hockey league. Hockey, the game that I love, was always here. My neighbors still poured their backyard rinks, their breath turning solid under the stars, and pint-size boys and girls still filed into the local arena, dragging their giant equipment bags across the snowy parking lot. Hockey isn't back, because it never left us. Only the NHL did. My hope was that if this season had been lost too, then the NHL -- this broken, bloated version of the NHL -- would be gone with it. I thought this was our last, best chance for a correction.
During the last lockout, a group of recreational hockey players in Toronto filed a bizarre-seeming legal claim: that the Stanley Cup was not the NHL's alone to award. It argued that Lord Stanley of Preston had given the Cup to us -- to all of us, to be held in our trust, forever -- to promote the game of hockey. The court agreed. Those recreational players actually won. The NHL was forced to concede that it did not own the trophy and that the Cup's trustees could choose to "award the Stanley Cup to a non-NHL team in any year in which the NHL fails to organize a competition to determine a Stanley Cup winner." Imagine that.
Last year, just before the start of the playoffs, the Stanley Cup came to my house in Port Hope, Ontario. I wrote a column about it. We called it "Best Day Ever," because that's what it was. Mike Bolt, one of the keepers of the Cup, and I carried it to the schools and through the streets. Hundreds of people saw the Cup that day, their eyes lighting up before more than a few of them filled with tears. I wrote especially about one trembling girl, nearly lost in the crowd in the elementary school's hallway. I'm choking up even now, remembering her. The NHL isn't hockey, all those insufferable men in New York yelling at each other about how to carve up the billions we give them. The look on that girl's face when she finally pressed her hand against the Stanley Cup -- that's hockey.
During this lockout's 113 miserable days, I dreamed that we could take back the Cup. (I wasn't the only one; Canadians were so fed up there was even talk of parliamentary intervention.) We could have had a tournament, some massive tournament, with every team that wanted to play making its way to the rink until some ragtag team of beautiful beer leaguers skated with the Cup hoisted over their heads. Lying awake at night, when I imagined it down to the very last detail, their faces looked like that girl's, this grand trust of ours restored along with our game.
Instead, those millionaires employed by billionaires will play their splintered, damaged season for our perfect, blameless trophy, and up here, at least, we'll all be back to watch them. Even without anything like a cap on ticket prices, even when they take away some of our teams and threaten to take away others, we've always come back. Already, our neighborhoods are roaring and swelling, as though the earth were rising beneath them. It's strange, even a little surreal, because it seems like only yesterday I heard a collective groaning. I could have sworn it was the sound of a sinking ship.
For the second time since 2005, that rhythm, at least the part for which the NHL is responsible, was silenced. A settlement between the owners and players was reached before the entire season was lost, but these very rich men still took our hearts to the brink. Now the players have been retrieved from their plushy exiles in Geneva and Prague and Vienna, and the owners have their hobby farms to mind again. HOCKEY IS BACK, my Saturday nights are screaming, Canada lit once more by the screens of a million TVs glowing white through frosted windows.
And yet I can't help wishing it were still quiet and still dark. The NHL is not hockey. It is a hockey league. Hockey, the game that I love, was always here. My neighbors still poured their backyard rinks, their breath turning solid under the stars, and pint-size boys and girls still filed into the local arena, dragging their giant equipment bags across the snowy parking lot. Hockey isn't back, because it never left us. Only the NHL did. My hope was that if this season had been lost too, then the NHL -- this broken, bloated version of the NHL -- would be gone with it. I thought this was our last, best chance for a correction.
During the last lockout, a group of recreational hockey players in Toronto filed a bizarre-seeming legal claim: that the Stanley Cup was not the NHL's alone to award. It argued that Lord Stanley of Preston had given the Cup to us -- to all of us, to be held in our trust, forever -- to promote the game of hockey. The court agreed. Those recreational players actually won. The NHL was forced to concede that it did not own the trophy and that the Cup's trustees could choose to "award the Stanley Cup to a non-NHL team in any year in which the NHL fails to organize a competition to determine a Stanley Cup winner." Imagine that.
Last year, just before the start of the playoffs, the Stanley Cup came to my house in Port Hope, Ontario. I wrote a column about it. We called it "Best Day Ever," because that's what it was. Mike Bolt, one of the keepers of the Cup, and I carried it to the schools and through the streets. Hundreds of people saw the Cup that day, their eyes lighting up before more than a few of them filled with tears. I wrote especially about one trembling girl, nearly lost in the crowd in the elementary school's hallway. I'm choking up even now, remembering her. The NHL isn't hockey, all those insufferable men in New York yelling at each other about how to carve up the billions we give them. The look on that girl's face when she finally pressed her hand against the Stanley Cup -- that's hockey.
During this lockout's 113 miserable days, I dreamed that we could take back the Cup. (I wasn't the only one; Canadians were so fed up there was even talk of parliamentary intervention.) We could have had a tournament, some massive tournament, with every team that wanted to play making its way to the rink until some ragtag team of beautiful beer leaguers skated with the Cup hoisted over their heads. Lying awake at night, when I imagined it down to the very last detail, their faces looked like that girl's, this grand trust of ours restored along with our game.
Instead, those millionaires employed by billionaires will play their splintered, damaged season for our perfect, blameless trophy, and up here, at least, we'll all be back to watch them. Even without anything like a cap on ticket prices, even when they take away some of our teams and threaten to take away others, we've always come back. Already, our neighborhoods are roaring and swelling, as though the earth were rising beneath them. It's strange, even a little surreal, because it seems like only yesterday I heard a collective groaning. I could have sworn it was the sound of a sinking ship.
Join:
2006/12/07
Messages:
29893
I have always been of the mindset that you can judge the character or class of an athlete best in defeat rather than in victory. The ability to lift your head in the face of failure will tell you more about the fiber of an athlete than the glory and exaltation of triumph.
Hockey has one of the greatest traditions in all of sports. To some it is the ultimate salt in the wound, but to most it is the consummate display of sportsmanship.
The handshake line at the conclusion of an often brutal playoff series requires humility from both victor and loser. The graciousness on either side of that line may not be as sincere as we'd like it to be, but it probably is more often than not. It reminds us that hockey is a team sport. We win as a team, and we lose as a team.
Class is difficult to define in an athlete, but it tends to reflect how a player carries himself on and off the ice. Conducting oneself with a certain grace and distinction sounds a bit out of place given the often barbaric nature of the sport. That is the beauty of hockey.
The most humble and grounded athletes in the world are found in the NHL. Even with the 24-hour-a-day news cycle and the "look at me" culture of SportsCenter highlight reels, hockey players tend to avoid the larger-than-life persona.
The NHL has a history of classy players. Like any sport, there are an equally large number of not-so-classy players, but given hockey's place in the lexicon of professional sports, the ratio is much smaller. I've put together a list of the classiest players in the history of the game. The list could be exponentially longer, but this is my top 25.
Feel free to add your own to the discussion, and as always, stay classy and enjoy now! The 25 Classiest Players in NHL History | Bleacher Report
Hockey has one of the greatest traditions in all of sports. To some it is the ultimate salt in the wound, but to most it is the consummate display of sportsmanship.
The handshake line at the conclusion of an often brutal playoff series requires humility from both victor and loser. The graciousness on either side of that line may not be as sincere as we'd like it to be, but it probably is more often than not. It reminds us that hockey is a team sport. We win as a team, and we lose as a team.
Class is difficult to define in an athlete, but it tends to reflect how a player carries himself on and off the ice. Conducting oneself with a certain grace and distinction sounds a bit out of place given the often barbaric nature of the sport. That is the beauty of hockey.
The most humble and grounded athletes in the world are found in the NHL. Even with the 24-hour-a-day news cycle and the "look at me" culture of SportsCenter highlight reels, hockey players tend to avoid the larger-than-life persona.
The NHL has a history of classy players. Like any sport, there are an equally large number of not-so-classy players, but given hockey's place in the lexicon of professional sports, the ratio is much smaller. I've put together a list of the classiest players in the history of the game. The list could be exponentially longer, but this is my top 25.
Feel free to add your own to the discussion, and as always, stay classy and enjoy now! The 25 Classiest Players in NHL History | Bleacher Report
Join:
2006/12/07
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29893
Viktor Fasth stopped David Legwand's final shootout attempt with a dramatic flourish, blocking a tough shot and then gloving the puck out of midair.
Even with a high degree of difficulty, the 30-year-old Swedish goalie made a superb first impression on his new fans in Anaheim.
Fasth made 19 saves and stopped all three Nashville shootout attempts to win his NHL debut, and Corey Perry scored the only shootout goal in the Ducks' 3-2 victory over the Predators on Saturday night.
Fasth got a standing ovation and the first star after surviving a tense evening with the Ducks, who never led until the final horn in their third victory in four games to start the season. Fasth is new to North America, but he's a veteran of the Swedish Elite League who's determined to succeed on hockey's biggest stage.
"I was a bit nervous in the beginning, but once you get out there, you just focus on the puck," said Fasth, who gave up a rebound goal to Brandon Yip on the second shot he faced. "That's my job. You don't think about so much else. The guys in front of me played incredibly good tonight and helped me a lot out there, so that made it easier for me."
After starter Jonas Hiller set a club record and led the NHL with 73 starts in the Ducks' crease last season, Anaheim won the off-season competition for Fasth with a $1 million, one-way contract. Fasth was named the Elite League's top goaltender in each of the past two seasons with AIK Stockholm, the first goalie to win back-to-back Honken Trophies since New York Rangers star Henrik Lundqvist.
"He's just calm as a cucumber," Anaheim coach Bruce Boudreau said. "I've never been a goalie and never want to be one, but that's the demeanour they have to have to be successful. Even in the shootout, I thought, 'Have a cup of coffee and wait for the guy to come down."'
Daniel Winnik and Bobby Ryan scored for the Ducks, who restored much of the good feelings from their two season-opening victories on the road after getting routed by Vancouver in their home opener Friday night. Ryan's goal with 33 seconds left in the second period ended 99 straight minutes of scoreless hockey at Honda Center for the home team, and Fasth kept the Ducks in it during an eventful third period and overtime.
Pekka Rinne made 20 saves in Nashville's third stop on a seven-game road trip, but the Vezina Trophy finalist dropped to 0-1-3 this season after former 50-goal scorer Perry beat him to the glove side on Anaheim's second shootout attempt.
Nashville got more bad news from its third shootout loss in five games: Goal-scorer Patric Hornqvist left the ice limping badly midway through the third period after getting tangled up with Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf while both players pursued a puck in the corner. Hornqvist is out indefinitely with a lower-body injury, Nashville coach Barry Trotz said afterward.
"He's one of those great guys that brings a lot of energy, and he's about as hard as they come," Trotz said. "It's a little frustrating because we haven't won a shootout, but we're getting points in every game, and you have to collect points, especially on the road."
Nashville had won six straight over Anaheim dating to the clubs' 2011 first-round playoff meeting and 12 of 15 overall.
Legwand and Winnik traded goals 1:03 apart midway through the third period, with Winnik becoming the first Anaheim player to score five goals in the first four games of a season with his tying tip-in. Winnik, a journeyman forward who joined Anaheim in the off-season, has never scored more than 11 goals in any of his five NHL seasons.
"I'm pretty relaxed," Winnik said. "I came into the season not thinking too much, which had kind of been my problem sometimes in previous years. The goals are just products of going to the net. That's been my focus, and when I have a scoring chance, I try and score, as opposed to getting back on the defensive side."
Anaheim couldn't score until Teemu Selanne jarred the puck loose in the corner and got it to Cam Fowler, whose shot from the point was expertly redirected by both Selanne and Ryan, the dependable 30-goal scorer who ripped the Anaheim organization last summer during another off-season of trade rumours.
NOTES: Nashville C Craig Smith didn't get on the ice in the third period because "he's got to play better," Trotz said. "He wasn't ready, plain and simple." Smith scored a career-best two goals in a win at Anaheim in November 2011. ... The Ducks played back-to-back home games just six times in franchise history before this season. ... The Ducks scratched young F Devante Smith-Pelly and inserted rugged F Brad Staubitz for his Anaheim debut. ... Nashville D Jonathon Blum, the Orange County native who played well for the Predators during their playoff series win over his hometown Ducks in 2011, was a scratch for the fifth straight game.
Even with a high degree of difficulty, the 30-year-old Swedish goalie made a superb first impression on his new fans in Anaheim.
Fasth made 19 saves and stopped all three Nashville shootout attempts to win his NHL debut, and Corey Perry scored the only shootout goal in the Ducks' 3-2 victory over the Predators on Saturday night.
Fasth got a standing ovation and the first star after surviving a tense evening with the Ducks, who never led until the final horn in their third victory in four games to start the season. Fasth is new to North America, but he's a veteran of the Swedish Elite League who's determined to succeed on hockey's biggest stage.
"I was a bit nervous in the beginning, but once you get out there, you just focus on the puck," said Fasth, who gave up a rebound goal to Brandon Yip on the second shot he faced. "That's my job. You don't think about so much else. The guys in front of me played incredibly good tonight and helped me a lot out there, so that made it easier for me."
After starter Jonas Hiller set a club record and led the NHL with 73 starts in the Ducks' crease last season, Anaheim won the off-season competition for Fasth with a $1 million, one-way contract. Fasth was named the Elite League's top goaltender in each of the past two seasons with AIK Stockholm, the first goalie to win back-to-back Honken Trophies since New York Rangers star Henrik Lundqvist.
"He's just calm as a cucumber," Anaheim coach Bruce Boudreau said. "I've never been a goalie and never want to be one, but that's the demeanour they have to have to be successful. Even in the shootout, I thought, 'Have a cup of coffee and wait for the guy to come down."'
Daniel Winnik and Bobby Ryan scored for the Ducks, who restored much of the good feelings from their two season-opening victories on the road after getting routed by Vancouver in their home opener Friday night. Ryan's goal with 33 seconds left in the second period ended 99 straight minutes of scoreless hockey at Honda Center for the home team, and Fasth kept the Ducks in it during an eventful third period and overtime.
Pekka Rinne made 20 saves in Nashville's third stop on a seven-game road trip, but the Vezina Trophy finalist dropped to 0-1-3 this season after former 50-goal scorer Perry beat him to the glove side on Anaheim's second shootout attempt.
Nashville got more bad news from its third shootout loss in five games: Goal-scorer Patric Hornqvist left the ice limping badly midway through the third period after getting tangled up with Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf while both players pursued a puck in the corner. Hornqvist is out indefinitely with a lower-body injury, Nashville coach Barry Trotz said afterward.
"He's one of those great guys that brings a lot of energy, and he's about as hard as they come," Trotz said. "It's a little frustrating because we haven't won a shootout, but we're getting points in every game, and you have to collect points, especially on the road."
Nashville had won six straight over Anaheim dating to the clubs' 2011 first-round playoff meeting and 12 of 15 overall.
Legwand and Winnik traded goals 1:03 apart midway through the third period, with Winnik becoming the first Anaheim player to score five goals in the first four games of a season with his tying tip-in. Winnik, a journeyman forward who joined Anaheim in the off-season, has never scored more than 11 goals in any of his five NHL seasons.
"I'm pretty relaxed," Winnik said. "I came into the season not thinking too much, which had kind of been my problem sometimes in previous years. The goals are just products of going to the net. That's been my focus, and when I have a scoring chance, I try and score, as opposed to getting back on the defensive side."
Anaheim couldn't score until Teemu Selanne jarred the puck loose in the corner and got it to Cam Fowler, whose shot from the point was expertly redirected by both Selanne and Ryan, the dependable 30-goal scorer who ripped the Anaheim organization last summer during another off-season of trade rumours.
NOTES: Nashville C Craig Smith didn't get on the ice in the third period because "he's got to play better," Trotz said. "He wasn't ready, plain and simple." Smith scored a career-best two goals in a win at Anaheim in November 2011. ... The Ducks played back-to-back home games just six times in franchise history before this season. ... The Ducks scratched young F Devante Smith-Pelly and inserted rugged F Brad Staubitz for his Anaheim debut. ... Nashville D Jonathon Blum, the Orange County native who played well for the Predators during their playoff series win over his hometown Ducks in 2011, was a scratch for the fifth straight game.
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USA TODAY Sports hockey columnist Kevin Allen offers his top surprises in the first week of the abbreviated NHL season:
1. Goal splurge: Weren't the players who joined teams in Europe during the lockout supposed to have the advantage? How do you explain the San Jose Sharks' Patrick Marleau netting two goals in each of his first four games, tying a 95-year-old NHL record, and getting a ninth goal on Sunday? He didn't play anywhere during the lockout. But he has averaged 37 goals over the last three seasons. On his current pace, he would score 86 in 48 games.
MORE: Marleau ties NHL record
2. Men not behaving badly: NHL discipline guru Brendan Shanahan has suspended one player in the first week of the NHL season. Maybe players got the message last season when he handed out 56 suspensions in the regular season and playoffs. Or maybe they aren't willing to risk any lost wages during a shortened season in which they are earning 60% of their regular pay.
3. Bargain free agent: The Anaheim Ducks signed free agent Daniel Winnik to a two-year, $3.6 million contract in July with the idea he would be a valuable role player, someone who could kill penalties and chip in a goal here and there. Instead, he's their top scorer with five goals in four games. He had eight goals in 84 games between two teams last season and has never had more than 11 goals in an NHL season.
4. Devil in the details: Shouldn't we have learned never to underestimate general manager Lou Lamoriello's team? It sure seemed as if the team's offense would take a hit with Zach Parise leaving through free agency. But you don't have to score many goals if you play as well defensively as the Devils play. The Devils have given up seven goals in four games, and goalie Martin Brodeur has a 1.69 goals-against average and .932 save percentage.
5. Sleeper rookie: Before the season, the buzz about the rookie class centered on Vladimir Tarasenko or Justin Schultz or Jonathan Huberdeau or Mikael Granlund. No one was raving about 5-8 Cory Conacher. The undrafted Tampa Bay Lightning center had two goals and five assists in five games. The former Canisius College player is 23 and played last season for Norfolk (Va.) in the American Hockey League, where he had 39 goals and 80 points in 75 games.
6. Capital offense: Considering how sharp the Capitals were playing late last season under Dale Hunter, it seemed as if they might be a team that finally understood who they are and how they could win. But the Caps have emerged slowly under new coach Adam Oates, the last team to pick up a win. Alex Ovechkin didn't pick up his first goal until Sunday. They looked out of sync in their first four games. Maybe Sunday's win will change things.
MORE: Capitals get first win
7. No cure for this hangover: Apparently, there is no statute of limitations of the effects of the Stanley Cup hangover. With the season starting three months late, the Los Angeles Kings hoped they wouldn't have the same sluggishness other champions experienced in recent years. General manager Dean Lombardi talked to former champions from other sports to see how they handled the season after a title. He left no stone unturned. But the Kings have started slowly, undermined by injuries and struggles by key players. Captain Dustin Brown doesn't have a goal and is minus four. Drew Doughty hasn't contributed offensively. The Kings didn't score a power-play goal in their first four games. The team that looked invincible in the postseason has looked ordinary.
8. Big gun silenced: Nashville defenseman Shea Weber made major news last summer when he received a 14-year, $110 million offer sheet from the Philadelphia Flyers. The Predators matched the offer, believing he was the cornerstone of their team. An annual Norris Trophy contender, Weber is supposed to deliver both offensively and defensively. Despite being fourth in the NHL in ice time, Weber and his booming slap shot have not produced a point. But Weber isn't alone his statistical early season slump. Last season, his partner was Ryan Suter, who took his considerable talent and moved to the Minnesota Wild as a free agent. He has three points in five games but is minus-five.
9. Strange goalie numbers: Ottawa's Craig Anderson has a .975 save percentage and 0.74 goals-against average, while reigning Vezina Trophy winner Henrik Lundqvist was at .893 and 3.13. Phoenix's Mike Smith was at .836 and 4.32 before he was injured. Cup winner Jonathan Quick has a GAA at 3.00. It is going to take time for goaltenders to rediscover their rhythm. When the season began on Jan. 19, some starting goalies hadn't played since April.
10. Improved power play: The Montreal Canadiens ranked 28th on the power play last season, converting 14.3% of their opportunities. They scored 43 power-play goals over 82 games, and this season, they have scored six power-play goals in four games to rank sixth at 27.3%. It helps that power-play quarterback Andrei Markov is finally healthy again. He has four power-play goals.
Patrick Marleau is top surprise early in NHL season
1. Goal splurge: Weren't the players who joined teams in Europe during the lockout supposed to have the advantage? How do you explain the San Jose Sharks' Patrick Marleau netting two goals in each of his first four games, tying a 95-year-old NHL record, and getting a ninth goal on Sunday? He didn't play anywhere during the lockout. But he has averaged 37 goals over the last three seasons. On his current pace, he would score 86 in 48 games.
MORE: Marleau ties NHL record
2. Men not behaving badly: NHL discipline guru Brendan Shanahan has suspended one player in the first week of the NHL season. Maybe players got the message last season when he handed out 56 suspensions in the regular season and playoffs. Or maybe they aren't willing to risk any lost wages during a shortened season in which they are earning 60% of their regular pay.
3. Bargain free agent: The Anaheim Ducks signed free agent Daniel Winnik to a two-year, $3.6 million contract in July with the idea he would be a valuable role player, someone who could kill penalties and chip in a goal here and there. Instead, he's their top scorer with five goals in four games. He had eight goals in 84 games between two teams last season and has never had more than 11 goals in an NHL season.
4. Devil in the details: Shouldn't we have learned never to underestimate general manager Lou Lamoriello's team? It sure seemed as if the team's offense would take a hit with Zach Parise leaving through free agency. But you don't have to score many goals if you play as well defensively as the Devils play. The Devils have given up seven goals in four games, and goalie Martin Brodeur has a 1.69 goals-against average and .932 save percentage.
5. Sleeper rookie: Before the season, the buzz about the rookie class centered on Vladimir Tarasenko or Justin Schultz or Jonathan Huberdeau or Mikael Granlund. No one was raving about 5-8 Cory Conacher. The undrafted Tampa Bay Lightning center had two goals and five assists in five games. The former Canisius College player is 23 and played last season for Norfolk (Va.) in the American Hockey League, where he had 39 goals and 80 points in 75 games.
6. Capital offense: Considering how sharp the Capitals were playing late last season under Dale Hunter, it seemed as if they might be a team that finally understood who they are and how they could win. But the Caps have emerged slowly under new coach Adam Oates, the last team to pick up a win. Alex Ovechkin didn't pick up his first goal until Sunday. They looked out of sync in their first four games. Maybe Sunday's win will change things.
MORE: Capitals get first win
7. No cure for this hangover: Apparently, there is no statute of limitations of the effects of the Stanley Cup hangover. With the season starting three months late, the Los Angeles Kings hoped they wouldn't have the same sluggishness other champions experienced in recent years. General manager Dean Lombardi talked to former champions from other sports to see how they handled the season after a title. He left no stone unturned. But the Kings have started slowly, undermined by injuries and struggles by key players. Captain Dustin Brown doesn't have a goal and is minus four. Drew Doughty hasn't contributed offensively. The Kings didn't score a power-play goal in their first four games. The team that looked invincible in the postseason has looked ordinary.
8. Big gun silenced: Nashville defenseman Shea Weber made major news last summer when he received a 14-year, $110 million offer sheet from the Philadelphia Flyers. The Predators matched the offer, believing he was the cornerstone of their team. An annual Norris Trophy contender, Weber is supposed to deliver both offensively and defensively. Despite being fourth in the NHL in ice time, Weber and his booming slap shot have not produced a point. But Weber isn't alone his statistical early season slump. Last season, his partner was Ryan Suter, who took his considerable talent and moved to the Minnesota Wild as a free agent. He has three points in five games but is minus-five.
9. Strange goalie numbers: Ottawa's Craig Anderson has a .975 save percentage and 0.74 goals-against average, while reigning Vezina Trophy winner Henrik Lundqvist was at .893 and 3.13. Phoenix's Mike Smith was at .836 and 4.32 before he was injured. Cup winner Jonathan Quick has a GAA at 3.00. It is going to take time for goaltenders to rediscover their rhythm. When the season began on Jan. 19, some starting goalies hadn't played since April.
10. Improved power play: The Montreal Canadiens ranked 28th on the power play last season, converting 14.3% of their opportunities. They scored 43 power-play goals over 82 games, and this season, they have scored six power-play goals in four games to rank sixth at 27.3%. It helps that power-play quarterback Andrei Markov is finally healthy again. He has four power-play goals.
Patrick Marleau is top surprise early in NHL season
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“The NHL’s opinion of itself is so high. … Okay, let them get drunk on their greatness,” Medvedev was quoted saying in SportsDaily.ru (in translations by Sport-Express reporter Slava Malamud) on Tuesday. “We’ll see how many Euros look our way.
“A number of players have either decided to stay or are looking into it. …Our league will act according to our own and international rules. If players decide to stay, we will help them.”
While Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin have already begun returning to North American in the aftermath of the lockout, Kovalchuk has remained vague on the situation and is now considered the biggest name likely to attempt to stay in Russia.
The 29-year-old winger signed a 15-year, $100-million (U.S.) deal with the New Jersey Devils in the summer of 2010, but is believed to be under enormous pressure to remain the centrepiece of the KHL with the powerful SKA Saint Petersburg team (owned by Medvedev).
“Not in a hurry to get to America. … Time will tell [if I stay in the KHL],” Kovalchuk told the Sport-Express newspaper Tuesday. “Nothing is out of the question.”
Despite the fact NHL camps are likely to open Sunday, Kovalchuk played in a KHL game Tuesday, and has said he would like to skate in the Russian league’s all-star game on the weekend.
He joins New York Islanders defenceman Lubomir Visnovsky as players with NHL contracts who have expressed interest in staying in the Russian league.
The KHL was formed in 2008, with the intent of creating a European super league that could compete with the NHL for talent. But to date, the North American league has won most of those battles and the two sides had previously declared a truce over players under contract.
In Washington on Tuesday, however, Ovechkin revealed a handful of the top Russian stars had met and discussed possibly staying in the KHL if the NHL’s new collective agreement wasn’t to their liking.
“If the deal was, if they’re going to cut our contracts, probably I’ll stay there,” Ovechkin said of the conversation. “I have 10 years [left on his contract] and if they were going to cut my contract for five years and 24 per cent, I’d rather stay home and play for my family and friends.”
Last October, Kovalchuk had expressed similar sentiments, telling Russia’s Sportsbox.ru his decision to return to the Devils could hinge on if the NHL’s new collective agreement would result in his salary being cut.
While the proposed new deal didn’t come with an immediate rollback, it will likely result in players’ salaries being shrunk over the next season or two via escrow payments, as the players’ share of revenues is cut to 50 per cent from 57 per cent.
“Basically, I don’t rule out staying in Russia in the case of a reduction of our salaries in the NHL,” Kovalchuk said last fall. “I just don’t understand why they needed to sign such contracts. Or they were just hoping to cut the percentage later?
“I believe that the contracts must be respected and this is a fundamental question. There’s no way the head of the [NHL Players’] Association and the hockey players will agree on the wage reduction.”
When informed of Medvedev’s comments Tuesday, NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly told reporters the league didn’t want to comment on the dispute.
“We have no response,” he said. “We will see what happens.”
KHL declares war on NHL contracts - The Globe and Mail