rrasco

Some tweets. Just to get your hopes up... And hopes shattered... And Wysh is putting this out there. Once again, proceed cautiously with hopes... http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck-daddy/european-hockey-teams-bracing-nhl-lockout-end-within-214215098--nhl.html

I couldn't help but laugh.

That video is amazing. I kind of forgot what watching hockey was like. Not just hockey, but Red Wings Hockey.

I was unclear of exactly which issues they would 'die on the hill' for, but I'm fairly positive the contract term was one. The three things they listed in the presser I believe were contract term, 5% variance, and CBA term. I don't know if Daly was specifying one of those or all of them as the hill they would die on. I would presume all three, as that is why they offered a take-it-or-leave-it deal. And I agree, the PA put some kind of restriction on the value year to year but I think we can all agree it would not be effective for the purpose it was intended. Those numbers or format would have to move a lot closer to what the league came up with.

That's incorrect. It's not a 25% variance. It's a 25% minimum of the maximum. A little bit different and doesn't actually go to prevent back-diving contacts like a variance would. Not at a 25% minimum anyways. And Daly said the contract issues are the 'hill they will die on'. They are posturing, or really don't intend to move off the 5 year contract term; and possibly the 5% variance.

Yep. Just as f*cking crazy as I thought and I was still blown away by it.

A few comments from what has been stated by a few already: -Lucas is still supposed to be involved creatively somehow. -Episode I was the worst thing that ever came out of star wars. -Episode II and III, I thought, were actually pretty good. -I think you enjoy I-III more if you know a lot about the first three. -I can't believe I read the spoiler alert against my better judgement. I'm going to cry now.

What new CBA? I know what you mean, but after last night, I'm jaded.

The offer the PA tabled yesterday did not have a 25% variance on contact terms. They proposed that the lowest year value could not be less than 25% of the highest. If player X makes $10M this year on a 10 year contract, the lowest amount of any of those 10 years could be is $2.5M. I wasn't a big fan of this.

I can't watch it here, but I remember one of these coming out a year or so ago. I don't remember what it was about at all. It was pretty WTF worthy though.

Not saying the Fehr's are not driving the bus the wrong way down the interstate, but AFAIK this is no longer about money. It's about contracting rights.

I did read that quote from an undisclosed player. This came out this morning, so maybe that had something to do with?

And that's the problem. The owners are making demands and throwing a fit if the PA didn't accept it. The PA should have just said, fine, we'll give you contract term and variance, we want our $389M in make-whole. Would that have been fair then?

No. Because you don't come off an offer you proposed. The players agreed to the $300M, they didn't ask for $325M. Now that the PA has offered 8 years on contract limits and 8 years on CBA term with an opt out at year 6, you wouldn't expect them to table an offer with longer terms than that at any point in the future.

Daly on contract term limits: The hill we will die on. They also insisted on CBA length. I didn't hear the third thing and the player wouldn't let me rewind. Long presser so I'm not watching it again.

Here you go. Bettman's presser. I'm trying to get through it. Hard to watch. http://video.nhl.com/videocenter/console?catid=53&id=190607

The fans have a right to be furious. I'm just about done with this gong show. I'm going to see the Rampage and Barons play on Sunday. Screw the NHL. I'll find other ways to fill my time and empty my wallet.

I am having Twitter problems again, but was following on my phone. Bettman just laid it all on the line. I'm blown away by what just happened. Steve Fehr and a contingent of players were in the room listening. It sounded tense. And Bettman literally just threw a fit. Can't imagine any less than 48 games. Said there is no magic date. His was Oct 11, the start of the season. Then he said he was being told it's Jan 1. So now we have a date. Make whole is off the table. Everything this week is off the table. Lebrun says expect statements from all 4 owners that were present this week.

Make whole provision is off table entirely.

The owners were insulted that they added almost $100M to the make whole provision (from $211M to $300M, which $50M was to come from player revenues) and the PA didn't accept their offer as-is. I can't believe he said it wasn't a negotiation, if that was an accurate quote. How do they expect this to work?

I got back in.

I think so too. Either one of these guys won't let the other one come out and address the media alone, they need to get the last word in. And on that note, I'm having Twitter problems again. Happened when I tried to go to Commie's feed this time. He had impeccable timing of asking how everyone was tonight, literally 2 minutes after the rejections news broke.