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Not really. They fired Paul Kelly because they felt he wasn't confrontational enough and they wanted somebody that could get under the owners skin. Fehr has no doubt accomplished that goal. I think some of the owners have developed a personal hate against fehr and I don't see that every going away so long as fehr is head of the pa. Both sides need a reset at the same time examples of both sides not caring about getting a deal done and negotiating in bad faith: -The owners insulting lowball first offer -The union dragging its feet on getting negations going and then dragging its feet on putting forth proposals, especially in September and October -The union not even running the numbers on their own proposals -The owners take it or leave it approach to negotiating and setting pre conditions on meetings -Fehr showing up hours late to meetings -The owners trying to break up the union through pr stunts such as claiming that fehr is misinforming the players about their proposals And the pr spin and bs by both sides throughout this process has been ridiculous. I can go on and on with more instances of both sides negotiating in bad faith or simply not caring about getting a deal done.

I wore all black to work yesterday...

The defense and goaltending both specialize in allowing goals, and the offense specializes in not scoring them. So in a way, they are the most specialized team in the league.

All that, and his hair was perfect.

Since everyone discounted the Forbes report and 18 teams losing money, and everyone thinks that each club making $3.5 million for the season was plenty for "billionaire owners", there really isn't much to say. Do I believe that the ownership has a right to make more? Yes I do. I would feel the same way if the players were making 43% and went on strike in order to obtain an equal share. The system did need fixing, but I will say this much, the system that Bettman is proposing has fail written all over it. Fehr's plan is a bit better.

Mr. Fehr would have been more than willing to play out another 10 years under the current CBA because the Players were making 57% of the revenues. It was, by and far, a more superior deal to the players. Fehr would have then dragged his feet, like he did when he decided to start negotiating in June/July, and never negotiated a new CBA if they started playing under the current CBA. In order for negotiations to occur and both sides to be engaged, the current deal has to be scrapped. Otherwise, the party that is getting the better deal, will not feel a sense of urgency to negotiate. Not that Fehr knows any kind of urgency when it comes to negotiating. His thumb was planted firmly in his ass until June, and then he sat on it a bit more before giving his first offer to the NHL. As the heads of the NHL and the NHLPA, both Bettman and Fehr have failed the sport of hockey miserably. They have also failed the fans, NHL employees, and every business owner that relies on the NHL games to make a profit or to survive.

Lebda

No doubt Bettman has been a failure. But i think it just shows that these owners are just as much fault considering that they haven't gotten rid of him yet

Even worse, the way he treats his customers is also deplorable

Thanks for finding that #9. A very good read. If it were actually a least special list though, I would think that the Bluejackets would be leading the way wouldn't they?

Whoever called negotiations a Gong Show up thread was spot on. I'm starting to hear the Benny Hill theme music anytime someone reports on progress (or lack thereof).

He must have run out?

Val-Dats-Franzen would be a nice line

As did I. Seriously.

From New York Times: My ribs are still aching after reading the first one.

Ever have a friend who's in a bad relationship? And every time you hang out with him all he does is complain about how awful things are, ask for advice that he never takes, and generally bring you down so you stop hanging out with him? That's how the NHL has now become for me. And as yet another reminder. No political discussion in this thread or on this site (no one really had yet but I wanted to head off any possibility from St. James' tweet) and no directing personal comments about the person making the post. Keep the discussion about this ridiculous lockout.

Too bad the NHL was not run like the UN Security Council because then we could have a Permanent 5 have access to a Veto vote- - anything that gets vetoed does not happen. The UN P5 consist of USA, Britain, France, China and Russia, all of which finance a large percentage of the UN and, because of that, they have a large say on what happens on matters. Why can't this be the same for the NHL. We could have the P5 consist of the Red Wings, the Maple Leafs, the Habs, the Rangers, the Blackhawks... for example, if Gary Bettman asks the owners to vote on a lockout and one of the permanent members veto it, then it can't happen. Since it is these teams that make a very significant amount of the NHL's money, and share their revenues with the poor teams, than this should happen and then we wouldn't have to deal with this lockout bulls*** every 7 years.

i would probably agree with that. though admittedly i don't know much about the details of the cba's in the 80's. i just know that the pa's own leader was exploiting his members. but it gets back to the point i've been making in this thread. this dysfunction between the pa and nhl that has caused 3 lockouts goes back to before bettman was even commissioner and is why i believe that firing bettman alone is not going to prevent another lockout in the future.

Word to the wise, Bettman is an employee of the collective owners. He does not make unilateral decisions. It seems to be a secret around here, so don't tell anyone it was me who told you.... kthx

Tootoo's endurance, durability, stamina, cooking skills, and art and crafts expierence make him way better than Cory E

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

I think Nick was this team and this organization's security blanket. We were Linus, and as long as he was around, we felt safe and secure. To save myself from a complete meltdown, I'm focusing on the silver lining in that the possible good aspect out of this is that it will allow further growth of this team and allow a new generation of leaders to emerge. While I wish that game had been much different for his sake, I was there too, and that is something I will be very thankful for. Last night I was also thinking about the number of times I've been privileged to meet Nick in person. Very fittingly, it's seven. I am so humbled to have been a fan of this team and gotten to watch him for the last twenty years, to grow up with and in this era of Yzerman, Lidstrom, Holmstrom, the Grind Line, the Russian Five, and more. Today, I am grieving over a loss that is so deep because this man has touched all of the fans' lives, impacted the Wings' organization and team, the NHL, and the sport of hockey in such a profound way that it feels as if a hockey god has truly walked amongst us mere mortals. And yet he remains as unselfish as ever, thinking foremost about the high standards he sets for himself and his dedication to the Wings and humbly deciding now is the right time. Thank you, Nick, for an incredible career. Life will go on, but I am very thankful to have shared a bit of your remarkable journey, and so grateful for what you have taught me and brought into my life as a Red Wings fan! Varmaste lyckönskningar, my Captain!

Sad? hell no. I have 20 years of great memories and 4 cups because of nick. he is one of the best ever to play the game. It is time to say THANK YOU! as loud as we can, and look forward to the next chapter. can we get a waiver and hang Nick's jersey in the HOF on Friday? Thanks Nick for all the time, effort and memories!