Jedi

Still working through AC3, though I get the feeling I'm drawing close to the end. (I think I'm at 63% complete, though if I remember correctly, I usually finished AC2 at about 84% complete, the rest made up in side quests and collectibles). I'm already starting to think about what my next game will be. I'm probably going to spend a few bucks on the downloadable game, Journey, for the PS3. Granted that's a game that I will finish in one day (maybe two, if I stretch it), but it got such great reviews that it deserves a shot. From there, I'm at a crossroad. I'm contemplating picking up and starting a new Skyrim campaign, and getting the Dragonborn DLC with it. Or I've been feeling the call of the Old West again, so I might start Red Dead yet again (and of course, follow it up with Undead Nightmare, which is one of the most fun DLC's I've ever played). Or, I might play Fable 3 again. Or Portal 2. Long and short of it, whatever game past Journey that I play next, will be one I've played before.

Too Much Monkey Business - Chuck Berry

Per Dreger...

What are you talking about? Eriksson had 5 points in the '98 run, and they were all assists. Marty LaPointe had the Cup winning goal that year.

I believe it would only apply to contracts signed after the CBA ratification. Players signed under the previous CBA are still bound by the contracts they signed, unless bought out by their club.

People talking about wanting Bertuzzi in his prime might not want to read this. Todd Bertuzzi was drafted 23rd overall in the 1993 Entry Draft by the New York Islanders. Guess which team held the #22 pick? That's right, the Detroit Red Wings. And who did they select with that 22nd pick? Anders Eriksson! Talk about a missed opportunity...

More thoughts from LeBrun...

It wasn't so much that the league would have given them an extra week to heal solely for the purpose of healing, it was the fact that the league was backed into a scheduling corner with NBC for games 1 & 2 of the finals (VS aired games 3 & 4). That week was NBC's Sweeps week, as well as the first week that Conan O'Brien hosted The Tonight Show, taking over from Jay Leno. NBC had invested FAR too heavily in that one week to have to bump programming mid-week so the NHL could get two broadcasts in. So the NHL's choice was to either schedule games 1 & 2 for Saturday & Sunday, or face an entire week off, which could be harmful to viewership of the finals with so much time off between series. People also forget that Pittsburgh eliminated Carolina in the ECF on May 26th, whereas Detroit finished Chicago in the WCF on May 27th. So the Penguins really only had one day of rest more than Detroit (with game 1 of the SCF starting on May 30th). One extra day would have helped, I'm sure, but I wouldn't consider it back-breaking, by any stretch. Especially since we won games 1 & 2 anyway...

Lebrun's following up, stating that the offer is for 10 years, with mutual opt-out after 8. And this tidbit...

Yes. The PA voted in favor of the Disclaimer of Interest, but they have yet to officially de-certify, so Fehr is still representing the PA. However, I don't think Fehr has the kind of power to unilaterally "nix" an offer. He could recommend the players push for more, but I don't think he could just say No, and force the players to live under whatever CBA he agrees to. I believe so, yes. Nothing I've seen says anything otherwise, and from the previous negotiations, I think everyone has come to accept that 50/50 is going to happen. Agreed.

Sounds like it. And the increase in contract variance to 10% instead of 5%. It's still early in the news cycle for this offer, though. When/if more details become public, we might see additional concessions (or possibly demands) from the owners' side.

1995, for me. So close to ending the cup-drought, and coming in so heavily favored, only to be swept out of the finals. The Wings hadn't lost a game at home that playoffs, and were outscoring teams by an almost 3-1 margin at home. 2009 was a hard loss to take, but mostly because of the fact that it was Crosby and the Pens winning on our home ice. 1995 was worse because of the 40 year cup drought, and losing so badly when we should have won.

Ray Bourque, without a doubt. Imagine a 1-2 of Lidstrom and Bourque in '00-'01. IIRC, the Wings were on a short-list of teams for Boston to trade Bourque to.

These Aren't The Droids You're Looking For - Queens of the Stone Age

8 minutes. Held off as long as we could, I see. With that post, I think it's clear that this thread has reached the end of its long and lonely road. Please understand. Closing this thread does not mean that you guys can't discuss the lockout, and everything surrounding it. Far from it. At the moment there's not really a whole lot to discuss about the lockout, but when something new does happen (i.e., new meetings, game cancellations, etc), then feel free to start a new thread to discuss that particular happening. Until then, however, this thread needs to go gentle into that good night. It's become a "catch all" for discussing all the particular events of the lockout, which is something that Matt and the Mod Staff feel LGW doesn't need.

I understand that this issue can skate perilously close to the line that divides hockey and politics, but please remember that LGW is an established "Politics Free Zone". Please keep your discussion in line with hockey and the CBA, and leave the issues of Capitalism, Stalin, et al for another discussion board. As Harold has pointed out previously, we're resorting to deleting entire posts rather than selective editing. So keep your posts on topic, or watch them be deleted entirely.

How bad is the NHL Lockout being viewed in terms of PR and public perception? Think BP Oil Spill bad...

As a matter of fact, it's what the NHL is asking for with it's recent legal filing, per Ryan Lambert with Puck Daddy... It's worth a read. If only to let you know just how badly screwed up this situation can get, if both sides keep going down the road they're going.

Bullet in the Head - Rage Against the Machine

This is getting old. Agreed. Can we maybe find a new way to disagree than simply change words, say "fixed for you" and sit back as Captain Snarky?

Lol. That's an inventive way of putting it! I can understand where you could feel that way. I've always felt that the combat is a little too easy (especially in 1 & 2), since an entire group of armed guards will patiently wait to attack you one at a time, and you only have to wait for their attack to counter-kill. 3 attempts to solve that problem, as you can be attacked by several guards at once, but it allows you to counter-attack up to two at a time, which still makes you damn near invincible. As for the open world, that kind of criticism is a little dishonest, as AC 1 had a massive area (The Kingdom) that you could explore in an open world setting. However, the game only requires you go through it 4 times, and then you can fast travel to anywhere AC 3 does the same thing with the Frontier, which is where I've spent most of my time once it became available. However, many of the missions require you to spend time in the Frontier area, much more so than The Kingdom in AC 1. I, for one, love the open world setting. Especially given the main character's back story as a member of the Mowhawk tribe. It really gives you a chance to sneak around the wilderness (climbing through trees, jumping from limb to limb, stalking a deer or elk to hunt). Opening things up is a good choice, IMO. And for me, the thing that has drawn me in most of the AC series has been the "retelling" of historical events, weaving history in with an incredibly well thought out conspiracy theory. I've been hooked into this series from the get-go.

Dreger tweets... ...and NUH UUUUUHHHH!!!!

Not one bit surprised to see Vancouver at #1. I am rather surprised at the actual percentage, especially the disparity between Vancouver and Tampa Bay.

From Dreger...

I wore all black to work yesterday...