Jedi

Seems to be having fun indeed. (Skip to 4:37)

QFE, over and over again. Whether the PA accepted 43%, or 46%, or eventually accepts 50%, it's still a massive gain for the League, and a massive concession for the PA. To be fair, I think the owners' desire to have a larger share of HRR is perfectly reasonable, which inevitably means the players will have to take a smaller share. And the owners are also perfectly reasonable to place restrictions on contracts to eliminate the "back-diving" practices. However, the league needs to soften it's demands to make something equitable for the players too.

You seem to be forgetting that the NHL's first offer (see July 13) was that exact same percentage, that you just "what-if'd"... But what you're overlooking is the fact that the League is not only demanding that the players take less a share of the HRR pie (to say nothing of the fact that they're refusing to honor contracts already signed), they're also trying to impose massive restrictions on the player's contracting rights and free agency availability. The League is in a "take-take-take" mode, and has not been willing to concede anything to the PA as an incentive. For instance, in 2004/05 the PA accepted a hard salary cap (which was a clear "win" for owners), and accepted that cap be tied to revenues (again, something the League insisted on), they still had things they could take away from the process as a "win" for their side. Most notably, the reduction in UFA age (was 31, dropped to 28 or 7 yrs) and the increase in the minimum salary (was $185,000, rose to $500,000 by deal's end). So, it begs the "elephant in the room" question. What exactly has the League offered to the players as incentive? The right to come back and play again? If negotiation is a "give and take" process, then the League is only halfway involved in the process.

TSN's Scott Cullen with the "elephant-in-the-room" tweet...

The Truth Is... (I Lied About Everything) - Theory of a Deadman

"The Crappiest Place on Earth"™

Greg Wyshynski's take on the NHL's two week break proposal. I rather like the last paragraph...

R.I.P. NHL. 1917-2012.

Pony Up - Kings of Leon

Came home yesterday to find Assassin's Creed 3 sitting on the bar with a bow on the packaging. I have an awesome fiance. Sadly, I only had time to play about 30 minutes last night, so I'm still in the VERY early stages of the game. Much more time available tonight.

Harrison Mooney with Puck Daddy has an interesting article up about how Mitt Romney's campaign used the Bruin's stadium (TD Garden) for their election night HQ on a night that was supposed to be the B's home opener. While the post is about 50/50 between lockout and politics, it provides a little bit of insight into Bruins owner Jeremy Jacobs. Long story short, Jacobs knew that the space would be available, even before the games were officially cancelled, while the League's much-vaunted 50/50 deal was still on the table... Fair warning. Yes, I just linked to a page that has some political discussions. That said, I only did so because it directly involves Hockey/NHL/Lockout. Politics is still a NO-GO issue on LGW, so keep discussion hockey related only.

6-8 weeks, per KHAAAAAAAN!!! To answer your question... I'm pinning this thread, since it is Red Wings injury related. And, if there is a season any time soon, Flip will likely start it on Injured Reserve.

Hitch A Ride - Boston

Must... Not... Post... Silly-But-Relevant... Picture... We've seen the reports of owners privately saying that they're closer to a deal than what's being presented to the public. And the reports of the players still being optimistic and putting together creative ideas. To me, it really sounds like the league needs to drop the Draconian contract restrictions, and a deal could be done within a few days. That said, I'm still not holding my breath... *edit* To clarify, some contract restrictions are needed, for sure. But not the "All-or-nothing" set that the league is demanding. Work with the PA, find something that works for both sides. It CAN be done.

SUPER DRUNK!!!

That's much easier to accomplish on the NHL's side than the PA's. The League only has to control the 30 owners, plus a few staff who might be "in the know". Which is even easier with the threat of a $250,000 fine for speaking out of place. The fact that the NHLPA is made up of around 700 players and then their own internal staff, a leak such as this becomes much more likely. It would be all but impossible to tell where the leak came from, if it were sent anonymously. LeBrun is reporting that the first meeting (of several today) has wrapped up. Talks to resume at 2pmET.

Agreed. The main positive to take from this whole thing, however, is the fact that they're still negotiating. Since both sides seem all to quick to shoot down a proposal (in a matter of minutes, at times), the fact that they're still discussing ideas and working together is a big positive to take away. It may be the only positive, if both sides are still so far apart...

A memo sent to the players last night by Fehr has made it's way to TSN, and it's available to read online. Sounds like the league is still asking for an immediate jump to 50/50, and has not let up on their contract restrictions (28/8 UFA, 5% year-to-year variation, 5 year max contract, etc). Worth a read. In short, it highlights how even after 3 straight days there is still much work to be done.

Wind on the Water - Crosby, Stills & Nash

Darren Dreger's tweeting this morning, providing a healthy dose of caution over the whole process... And once more unto the breach... Today's meetings are underway. LeBrun...

Meetings done for the day, but they're meeting again tomorrow. Good sign, for sure. 4 straight days of meetings. Hopefully we're that much closer to a deal.

That's why I'm glad that Lidstrom retired. Imagine him coming back for one more year, only to be slammed with a lockout like this.

What's The New Mary Jane - The Beatles

I seem to remember him signing to play a few games (maybe a month's worth) in a lower Swedish league (Since the SEL won't let players have an "escape clause"), and that he was going to reassess his playing options for the year when that was done. Then again, I've been wrong before, and this return to the States may have been in his plan all along...

This might be a case of me reading too much into something, but Ansar Khan is tweeting that Big E is back from Sweden, and is participating in an informal practice in Troy today. Big E had been playing a few games in a lower league in Sweden, but last I heard he was still exploring options of where to play afterwards. Might be a sign that players are sensing an end to the lockout sooner rather than later...