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Did you ask him if Samuelsson will play the point on the powerplay?

I honestly can't believe we're seriously having a discussion about whether Tootoo is a better player than Emmerton. I'm not sure how anyone in their right mind would say Emmerton is a better player. Tootoo scored 30 points last year, hits like a truck, and is a solid fighter. Emmerton scored 10 points last year, is deathly afraid of hitting anything, and has his gloves glued to his hands. How is this even an argument? "Tootoo got benched last year in the playoffs." That might have something to do with the Kostitsyn sisters, Paul Gaustad and the return of Radulov. I'm standing by Kenny on this one.

See this is what I don't understand about the owners, they want a Salary Cap and a Floor, but the big teams don't want to share revenues. If they want a Salary Cap and Floor, they HAVE to revenue share. If the rich teams don't want to revenue share, then get rid of the Cap and Floor. It isn't that difficult to understand. These issues are between the owners, and doesn't have anything to do with the players. We're going to miss another season of hockey because the owners can't agree with themselves. It's not up to the players to save Phoenix, Florida, Columbus, Nashville, etc. from bankruptcy. Plus a 7% decerease in the player's share won't begin to cover the tens of Millions of $ teams are losing. Unless the owners can get their crap together, we'll have another lockout in 7 years. If you ask me, the compromise is a Luxury Tax.

This really is the most embarrassing negotiation session in the history of pro sports. Fehr and Bettman are out of the room, and progress is made. They come back in, and it all comes crashing down. Both these asshats need to be fired. There is no defending the NHL or NHLPA in these negotiations. There is no defense for greed. There is no defense for refusing to negotiate in good faith. There is no defense for stall tactics There is no defense for pontificating to the media after you don't get your way There is no defense for leaving when your side doesn't get what they want There is no defense for not taking calls from the other side, and there is no defense for leaving a voicemail message turning down a deal Fans have to unite at this stage and be sure to speak with their wallets when the NHL does come back. I am not spending any money on NHL tickets or merchandise for a long time. Both sides can go f*** themselves.

At the local college hockey team Saint Cloud State game, and a fan walks up to me and asked who is Red Wings head coach. I look at my friend and was like Mike Babcock.. why? He's like I heard he's here tonight and I look at my friend and was like is this guy for real? Well during the 2nd intermission I am just looking in the stands for him and sure enough, sitting in section 209.. Mike Babcock! I quick run up to his section and introduce myself, he asked if I went to college at SCSU and I said yes and I asked him when he thinks the lockout will end. He says he plans on it ending around Christmas time. I asked if I can have a picture with him and of course he says yes! Lighting is a little bad at the arena but I don't care, I got to met him!!!

http://www.eliteprospects.com/lockout_scoring.php?season=2012&leagueid=&sort=&leagueteam=&nation=&name=&order=TP 4 Red Wings in the top 15 in scoring outside the NHL, pretty impressive. The most surprising is Jan Mursak, I know its in Austria but he's well over a PPG.

L'dOL, technically. Ha!

Ughhh..nevermind.

But that's what everybody said last time and we came back in record numbers. We missed it and they knew(know?) it and needed our fix I think we as fans and customers should show them that we don't appreciate the lockouts and ensure that they don't do it again next time by the only means that they will actually care. If we come back and there isn't a significant drop in revenues, he will still be in charge. By the way I noticed you're from Grand Rapids. The Griffs totally dominated tonight a 3-0 win but the score was not indicative of just how dominating they were

That is the sort of RS I like, franchises like the Wings are still paying for others but the gain something from it -------->more space to sign great players and put a winner on the ice. There is a reason why the MLB is working like a charm since Fehr introduced the luxury tax. If it takes a season or two to finally get in, count me in the game will be better than ever, without the stupid cap and player rights restrictions.

If Bettman is still commissioner, yes. Losing the entire season in 2005 didn't change his negotiating style, why would this lockout?

I'm sick and tired of this false argument. The players favor supporting struggling teams too. Your assertion that revenue sharing is only favored by the league and Bettman is demonstrably false. Here's a quote from the NHLPA's website. I've gone ahead and bolded the parts that prove, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that what you said is either intentionally misleading or unintentionally misguided. Either way, you're dead f'ing wrong. "Meaningful revenue sharing is an essential component of any successful league. It is not a distraction; it is the heart of the issue. After seven straight seasons of record revenue, it’s clear that if the NHL has a problem, it is not a revenue issue, but rather a revenue disparity issue. The owners’ revenue sharing proposal does increase to revenue sharing somewhat, but every dollar of revenue sharing is paid for by player salary reductions; the higher income clubs contribute nothing on their own. The Players’ propose that they partner with the high-income teams to provide targeted funding for the distressed teams and owners. But the players won’t and shouldn’t have to do this alone. The higher income teams need to share far more with the lower revenue teams. The Players will do their part; will the owners?"

Kronwall has it right.... "I think if we're this close, I don't see the reason why we shouldn't just keep at it until we have something," Kronwall said. "I don't see the reason why we should all of a sudden step away and get all dramatic. Just stick with it and let's get this done." link"]link

Don't go making excuses for the players, both Daly and Bettman expressly stated that the 300 million in make whole was contingent upon either accepting or rejecting the contract and cba lengths. They didn't accept. The owners walked. It's not like they didn't know, Fehr thought he smelled blood and over played his hand. Don't go making it seem as if they players had no idea that one was contingent on the other, they did.

After reading/watching/following (twitter/facebook/etc...) everything that I possibly can get access to, I'm siding with the owners. I guess more specifically, I'm siding against the Fehr brothers. I think they are doing a disservice to the NHLPA by giving them a false sense of bargaining power in this negotiation. Although both sides can say what they want, I believe the owners compromised on a few of the NHLPA "top priority" issues that they previously had refused to, in an effort to display some good will toward the players and get a deal done. However, the owners did express that just as the players had "top priority issues", so did the owners. The owners compromised and I truly believe the Fehr brothers took this not as good will, but weakness on the part of the owners....which led to them cheer lead to the players that there is an even better deal to be had...."we've got em on the ropes boys!!" These owners have put millions and billions of THEIR OWN MONEY into purchasing/maintaining their respective clubs. Huge money that was made in another industries. Do you think they are going to let the Fehr brothers "pull punches" in the waning hours when a deal was very likely headed to be signed?? I don't think Fehr have installed a true sense of reality into the players. It may and should be construed as fear. Fear of what?....Fear that they really are replaceable. Fear that, in reality, a lot of these players don't have a lot of attractive options beyond the NHL. You worked your whole life to play in the NHL and now....you play in AHL....you play in Europe? Second rate league, half way around the world from your home...with sub par accommodations (some say dangerous accommodations...look at just the travel accommodations alone and the tragedy of the plane crash that took our former coach BC and so many other players lives). A league that puts on average 1/2 of the people in the seats night after night. Fear that for a lot of these guys without hockey they'd be back working the family farm in Manitoba. How much does that pay?? So let's get real players. You are paid a huge salary under the last CBA and any future agreement. You are going to make a TON of money for playing a GAME. Mr. Player, what did you contribute to make the whole Detroit Red Wings enterprise work?? Your 3rd line play and constant injuries after being left for dead by the entire NHL and given one last chance with the Wings?? (sorry Dan Cleary, but your tweets and rhetoric have gotten under my skin). A big goal in a playoff game?? An NOW YOUR ENTITLED to the revenues and business compromising advantages of the entire business?? Get real. Players; we wear your jerseys and have unwavering support for you....and you can't even have our backs as fans? "Well look at how much money the owners are making....we want some of it for ourselves"....I say...GET REAL, WHAT OTHER BUSINESS LETS YOU LOOK AT THE BALANCE SHEET AND START MAKING DEMANDS OF YOUR OWNER ABOUT WHAT YOU WANT!! They paid hundreds of millions of their dollars to own the business and with that, the risk of owning and NHL team. They earned that right to run their business. You earn your right to wear the jersey (Winged Wheel) and you earn your right to more playing time and potentially a salary raise. You don't do anything but play hockey and know nothing to very little about running a business. So Dan Cleary....go back to Newfoundland and earn your living back there...go play in Europe year after year if you don't like it...maybe try real estate. I realize that might screw up your 3 golf rounds a week at Oakland HIlls (true), but hey, we should be falling all over you right....YOUR DAN CLEARY!!! A bit aggravated this morning. As a fan who loves this game and have supported this game and players for 35 years...players need to fire Fehr and start making rational/reality for themselves. Decisions for the fairness of yourselves as millionaires playing a game, and for the fans who you all claim you "can't thank enough" (excerpt from any player interview regarding the fans).

No, I do understand what you're saying. What I'm saying is...if the owners said they would give 300 million in make whole, under the condition that the players accept the contracts length and cba length provisions, and the players did not accept those provisions, then you definitely pull the 300 million. The owners made one contingent on the other, and when that wasn't accepted, they pulled their offer. I'm with you though, I don't care who's right, I want hockey. But when I see an offer that seems very fair to me, turned down because of something that almost all fans and owners want anyway (shorter contracts and longer cba), it's hard not to be pissed off at the union.