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This thread is so full of fail it's ridiculous. How many times does it have to be pointed out that Gary Bettman is a mouthpiece for the owners/BOG and is not working on his own. The owners tell him what they want and what to say, and he goes out and says it. Getting rid of the "dwarf" will not make anything better. You'll just get another mouthpiece for the owners, and the message will stay the same. The owners are going to push for what they want. It doesn't matter who delivers the message. Maybe because the league is making more money than it ever has, and because revenues are increasing every year? Pay for performance, right?

As a child, I can picture Uncle Gary never losing a game of Monopoly. If he was losing, he merely flipped the board in the air and stormed away.

Are there hockey players named Big Badger and Big Mushroom also? Har har har... (maybe 20% of the forumgoing population will recognize this obscure reference).

While he may be a "mouthpiece", his duties and responsibilities are far more reaching than simply conveying what owners have to say. He is the final word in the NHL, and to assume he is simply a lame duck is incorrect. Does he take orders and influence from owners? Absolutely. But the owners need one person to give them a vision and their trust is given to Bettman in order make the right decisions to see it through on a number of different levels, some seen, some unseen.

I still don't know how only 13 players in the NHL made more money than Bettman last year

In the new CBA, will Bettman's salary be rolled back as well? Will he share some of his salary with the owners? Will 42% of his salary be paid to himself with the rest going to the NHL? Why does Bill Daly look like Elmer Fudd?

If Holmgren signed Bettman to an offer sheet would any team match?

Bettman is just pulling more political bs to try and make the union look bad. It doesn't sound like the players left out the meat and potatoes, they just didn't include everything Bettman would want in there. Which isn't really a surprise considering it's a negotiation. I don't know that the players didn't cover all aspects. I don't agree with it but it sounds like they don't want contract length limited. So there's not going to be a provision offering that. And what good is a "full proposal" from the NHL when most of what they proposed is insane? Just listen to the tone that Fehr takes in his public comments about the CBA negotiations, then listen to Bettman. Bettman takes every opportunity to take shots at the union and threaten lockout. When the NHL took until mid July to give their first proposal to the players union, was he disappointed in the timeline then? Seems like Bettman's got a case of short man syndrome and loves to wield his power whenever he's given the opportunity. That or he really wants to get the lockout hat trick.

Nobody has addressed the issue of front loaded contracts for 10+ years. I think our owners, the O6, should chime in and tell Bettman to shut the hell up since the O6 is the back bone of the NHL. If the NHLPA can pit the small market teams owners against the big market teams owners and watch them bicker among themselves that would be comical to see. As for owners saying "we don't have enough money"...I don't want to see them crying becasue they can't get to the cap floor let alone sign high quality players. If you have the money to land an elite player then go for it...if you DON'T have the money to land an elite player stop your bitching and move on.

Whoooooaa theeeres a snake...... badger badger badger badger badger badger badger badger

In counter to that argument... Brett Ledba: Games played per season 2005-06: 46 2006-07: 74 2007-08: 78 2008-09: 65 2009-10: 63 Sometimes you have to play someone because a lack of other options. The Wings already have at least 13 other options ahead of Emmerton as of right now. Who have proven themselves much more in the NHL than one Cory Emmerton has, are key PKers for the team, & have shown in a pinch that they can move up beyond the 4th line & still contribute.

Good signing for the Flyers, but in reality, where is all this money coming from? They're almost right up to the cap now and they have guys who will be getting raises in a year or 2. Matt Read and Sean Couturier in 2 years will be getting massive raises from their 1.375 mil and 900K. Probably to around 3.5 mil each at least. Holmgren is a bold GM, but he's rash. He's like a kid that keeps building a fort and knocking it down so he can try to build it better but he always leaves a weakness. Bryzgalov sucks hard.

true plus I don't think Holland wouldnt trade Cleary anyway.....he's way too beloved by the team

Frustrating but true, friend. Frustrating but true. Still, I'd part with Franzen or Flip if it meant landing a first-line/top-pairing stud.

We get it Cory, you really want to play for the Wings this year. Any other year and you might have a chance but there are just too many guys ahead of you that are better. Now get off of LGW and go skate a few laps to get ready for whoever picks you up off of waivers.

The presence of multiple RH shots creating one-timer opportunities should do wonders for the offense, particularly on the PP. Z Winged Dangler hit it on the head. How many times last season during GDT threads were people complaining about not going for a one timer on the PP. I recall mentioning the lack of one-timer setups quite a few times myself. I think we will be pleasantly surprised by the PP improvement this season. Edit: Does anyone remember if we've had a legit one-timer threat up front since Hull and Shanny left?

Bettman just stfu you stupid little undersized dwarf. The NHLPA presented a fair offer you on the other hand insulted them with an outrageaus one. If we lose another season because of you, I hope the owners will get as sick of you as all the fans, players and media already are. Worst commissioner by far. So a fair offer presented by Fehr oh the irony is still not good enough for you? Guess what the players aren't dumb they wont roll over so you can have your failed franchises and stupid parity going on forever. I am sure Mr. I is sick of you too. sorry for the rant but this little guy is driving me nuts. Think the players shouldn't earn what they do? How about having your head down and run into a check from Big John Scott or Steve MacIntyre? Maybe then you'll understand how physical demanding th is sport is. That guy really successfully defines every sterotype of a dwarf, he is the epidome...

He's such a prick. The NHLPA's response might have been more timely had they known the league's offer would be insane and not worth waiting to see before responding.

ya im a part of the 80%..

i want him purely for the name on the back of the jersey

The longer this goes on, the less confident I am that this will be resolved. Which is going to royally piss me off.

And we wonder why there is a potential lockout on the horizon. This guy has played 1 full season in the show. He has 53 career goals.. I know he's only 23 but cmon..4.5 million. Nothing and I mean nothing was learned from the first lockout. If anything it's gotten worse..they keep pumping up the cap ( I know it's based on revenue) and guys like this keep getting these ridiculous contracts. He will score 18 goals next year and this contract will be a complete abortion that the Habs will be stuck with.

There are 2 endings to this: he really is 17 or he is Alexandre Daigle.

Interesting that Bettman's salary has risen from less than $3M before 2004-05 lockout to approx $8M today.

All you need to know about why we suck, is that you have Dan Cleary on the top line. Hell, it doesn't matter how you slice it, our forward lineup is old on the top 2 lines. And keep in mind, many of these players have a history of injuries, so depth will be a factor. I expect to see Nyquist, Tatar and Mursak a lot this season.