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Strange that the Islanders would be moving off the island. Brooklyn is barely on their logo, if at all... Definitely a good money move. More people, more trains, means probably more revenue. The booming artsy fartsy scene over there can probably adopt them too.

This is pretty much the sentiment I was trying to express. We're the real fans and pledging to tear down the league that we love watching just doesn't seem like a viable route for me anyway. The league will feel the bulk of the repercussions for what they're doing when they lose their casual fans. And it's not like the league is evil from top to bottom. The franchises do a lot for the fans. In the last few months, I have been floored by the Red Wings' fan appreciation efforts with the fan mural and the events they have been holding. I mean, I can't get over how ridiculous it was that they let me lace them up and go skating at the Joe for free. You can cite the struggling markets and expensive beers, but it's not all doom and gloom. Efforts to expand the game, whether completely successful or not, should be welcomed to get the sport recognized nationwide. And yeah, beer is expensive at games, but so is popcorn at the movie theater. That's what happens when places don't allow outside food. In my opinion, the game is much better since the last lock-out and the revenues and increased viewership shows it. It really sucks that we're stuck in a bargaining gridlock right now, but the greed needs to be worked out by the bigwigs and then we can return to admiring the other more important aspects of the game. Any money-making industry will have its ugly side.

This is silly. The fact that we're all clattering away on this message board during a lockout is that we're all huge fans of hockey. If the game came back, the last thing I'd want is to financially "punish" the league. I want the game to be popular and strong and I am bothered by those that consider our game a fringe sport. The fact of the matter is that they have a product we love and can use that to their advantage now. It sucks but we have to wait it out until the greed gets worked out.

We're gonna have to lose more than one season before the guy goes. So might as well vote yes and cut our losses.

Hockey players tend to have egos as big as their appetite for cash. As long as the NHL is the most competitive and historic league, they will come back to establish their legacy. Sure it's nice to get paid a competitive salary and be at home, but no one will ever give them props for being one of the greatest while they are in the KHL. They are mad and irrational like us fans, but they'll march right back when things are worked out like us too.

So, best way to predict future behavior is to look at past behavior. In the last lock-out, the NHL ended up offering the players a deal in the last minute and the players rejected it, so the season was canceled and the players got an EVEN WORSE deal at the beginning of the next season. My thought is maybe this time around, the NHL will make a similar offer in order to have a shortened season. Maybe the players will learn this time and take the offer and we can at least have some hockey this year. Zetterberg's comments make it sound like the players are dead serious this time around. Multiple players have said they're prepared for a multiple year work stoppage. They could be bluffing, but who knows? Let's hope something gets worked out.

It's happening. Now the KHL needs to somehow slip out of its agreement on limiting the number of NHL players that can join in, and the NHL will be on it's way to committing suicide with this lockout. Not really , but I'll take whatever imagined leverage I can gain to make me think the dispute is ending soon.

We definitely need some GDTs up in this heezy. All this lock-out tension needs some release. Griffins would be nice. Would be even better if more of the Wings had joined the team. Classic games would be cool too, at least if I don't remember the outcome.

Oh boy, I'm pretty sure agreeing to disagree is not the best approach on this particular issue.

I'm just glad the two sides are at least talking. Going on to two days in a row now. Not too shabby.

Doesn't getting any stranger seeing Mike Milbury hitting a fan with his own shoe... no?

Yeah, I have noticed some of the white outs in the league have seemed kind of silly after the switch. The home team is wearing dark now and the all the fans and the away team are wearing white. See Phoenix's playoff run last year. To be honest, it doesn't matter much to me when the team wears each color. I have always thought our white jersey looked a bit cooler than the red, so I guess it would be nice to see those at home. For those of you who own both jersey colors, do you have a tradition when it comes to wearing them at games or when watching at home? In the playoffs, I usually match up with the team but if we fall into a bad streak, I'll blame the jersey color and switch to the opposite until we're back on track. That's just my superstition.

It would just be easier if players infiltrated another league that provided better benefits. Though, no other North American league would be able to match similar salaries up front. The KHL would have been a viable option but they agreed to recognize NHL contracts, which is looking like a good strategic move to establish by the NHL before entering this lockout. Otherwise the players would have all entered the KHL without restrictions and received competitive salaries. We'd all be CSKA fans right about now.

I was looking for help with something too and thought I would post here to spare you guys another thread. I am looking for a large Wings poster for my place. I want something akin to the big old-time banners they have up at the Joe of the production line and the like, preferably in black and white. Something iconic yet classic. I've snooped around a few sites with no luck. Any ideas?

Veal have to see what else he can do.

Of course he's going to say that. What else would he say? "You know, it'll probably get resolved in a couple months cause our side is planning to cave soon." This is the NHLPA's poker face.

From what I understand, the KHL acknowledges NHL contracts and won't let players continue playing if an agreement is reached. Alex Ovechkin threatened not to return to the NHL if salaries were slashed, but I think the they would get in big trouble if they tried to retain him. They'd have to find some sort of loophole in the agreement they made. Here is a link from a while back. Additionally, the KHL made a bunch of rules in anticipation of the lock-out. Players can only be signed to contracts if they have played >150 games in the NHL in the last three seasons, previously played in the KHL, represented their country in international play, or were at some point an Stanley Cup finalist/award winner. Each team can only sign a max of 3 NHL players. Also, every KHL contract must have an out clause in case the NHL resumes play. Here is the link. What Jimmy D said was interesting. The players are no longer covered by the NHL's health insurance plan, so if they get injured playing in another league, the owners may not be required to fulfill the remainder of their contract. Things could get messy in that regard. I think some of the players who have not ventured out of the league to play may be doing it for that reason. If they are recovering from injuries now and aggravate them in another league, they might find themselves to be in trouble down the line. We've always talked about Z and his back issues and Helm who just recently had wrist surgery.

Let's just slash and burn everything we've worked for to the ground over money.

Hmm... Datsyuk doesn't seem like the hard-nosed negotiator type to get involved in the politics of the game. Seems to be more interested in stuff like this: Haha, let the kid go home and play.

Haha, sheep f***er. That made me laugh. If all the owners are cattle farmers, words like these are certainly prodding for trouble. It's pretty obvious there's a power struggle element to all of this and I fear symbollically whoever is grossing more than 50% is the one wearing the pants in the relationship. What a petty situation to be in.

Yes, they decided to take the incorrect position.

Just curious, could an option like this seriously be considered at any point? Like legally? I vaguely remember this coming up during the last lockout too. Could the NHL establish a relationship with another player's association at a bargain price and try to lure the talented players into the new union under their rules? It would be suicide for the NHL and would probably make the KHL the premiere league at least temporarily, but just wondering if it could ever be a legitimate threat by the owners.

Doubt it. He sold his house and is back in Sweden.

I agree with this post. Maybe if it were 2009. Our current team has no identity. We have a lot to figure out with our lineup and decreasing the margin of error will only hurt us. Unlike prior years, no one really knows how our lines will look and our defense needs to develop over the course of the season. I vote disadvantage.

Some of our Russians on display.