The players should just take what they are being offered. Without being called a jocksniffer because I don't think the owners are in the right, they should just bite the bullet and get it over with. (frank), in 3 years the owners crying about revenues will have shot themselves in the foot again and fringe players like Paccioretty and anybody on the Canucks will have cashed in on redonkulous offers again.
- weirdoh

What do you mean 'Almost'??? I cried 38 times. Proud to say it! I may have passed out at one point after screaming like a 16 year old girl from 1964 but that might just be a rumour. Better ask Ek. I would put it as an e3. More to come.
- Beatle_john

Paul McCartney's voice has been shot, since the mid 80's. The last decent vocals from Paul, were on the soundtrack to, "Give My Regards To Broadstreet". There are even a couple of clues in that movie, about the death of Paul.

Those were mostly done on purpose- all the backwards recordings and the open palms (especially in Sgt Pepper) and his pose walking across Abbey Road....all on purpose.

There are strange coincidences though- most notably "28 if" on the plate of one of the parked cars on Abbey Road.

Great stuff
- Giroux_Is_God

You guys are starting to freak me out. Stop it.

And it's popularity sky rocketed the day you joined
- Arctic_AARDVARK

Don't let my join date fool you, I've been a member since 1488.

The players should just take what they are being offered. Without being called a jocksniffer because I don't think the owners are in the right, they should just bite the bullet and get it over with. (frank), in 3 years the owners crying about revenues will have shot themselves in the foot again and fringe players like Paccioretty and anybody on the Canucks will have cashed in on redonkulous offers again.
- weirdoh

Tim Connolly. 2-year deal, $9.5M

The question the players need to ask is... If they will give up 1 contract concession (Most likely a block of the cap-circumvention), and drop the hard money guarantees. Will the owners move more thier way on the gap in make-whole.

I think that is pretty close to where this will end up. Thing is the owners already know this and i believe they are still trying to turn the screws just a little more, in hopes of saving what they can on that make-whole gap.

If that is the case, then in reality what we are seeing is Don and Gary's roundabout way of fighting over that remaining gap in money. While it may appear very dire on the outside. It may in fact be much closer than it looks,and all of this posturing just the final moves in the chess game to secure one last victory before this is over.

IMO the only way this thing is not over before xmas, is if it has been Fehr's plan all along get to decertification, or at least some kind of labor-law suits and break the league, and maybe even try to get the salary-cap off the table.

While i certainly hope (and believe) that is is the former. If it is the latter, then this may well go beyond this time next year, and that wouldn't be good for anybody.

Maybe that's why the Owners want to get the players alone. A chance to explain this to them in detail without the Fehr-filter.

I have to ask. The NHL and the NHLPA are apparently $184 million apart as far as the make whole provision and essentially on the entire (core) economic agreement. The NHL states they're losing approximately $20 million per day in revenue due to the lockout. Consequently the players must be losing about the same due to their share of HRR (so approximately $20 million/day). That equals just over 9 days of lockout. Bottom line...both sides are simply losing money on irrational principle alone at this point, and NONE of this has anything to do with business at this point.

One might argue that there are also the contractual issues, but all reports seem to indicate this could be handled quite quickly with the core issues agreed upon (especially with them agreed upon because it sets the base for negotiating leverage. ie players accept lower amount, get more on the contractual issues or vice versa).

Either way nobody should be supporting EITHER side of this lockout at this point, as it has become meaningless and flat out asinine. It stopped being about business and became personal a long time ago.

- Symba007

I wasn't sure who I should have picked, just as long as it was one of the habs and Canucks.

I wasn't sure who I should have picked, just as long as it was one of the habs and Canucks.
- weirdoh

Could have picked Gomez or Kaberle

Could have picked Gomez or Kaberle
- Symba007

Nah, that wouldn't have worked. Pacs is good.

Paul McCartney's voice has been shot, since the mid 80's. The last decent vocals from Paul, were on the soundtrack to, "Give My Regards To Broadstreet". There are even a couple of clues in that movie, about the death of Paul.
- PrinceLH

I was talking about hid tributes to John and George during the shows.....

Could have picked Gomez or Kaberle
- Symba007

yeah i thought that was a weird choice also.

This site will die if there is no season.
There is like no life in this place at all
- FLYERSROCK!

The day they call the season, ill be gone till the summer.

yeah i thought that was a weird choice also.
- joshs

it was meant as sarcasm, he picked one of the few bright spot on the Habs

it was meant as sarcasm, he picked one of the few bright spot on the Habs
- Symba007

Didn't he win some kind of award for being a really good player?

Ek- getting ad revenue is fine. But for eff sakes, dont let ur ads cover up the posts. If i cant read the posts, wtf am i here for? The video that plays automatically is infuriating too.

Ek- getting ad revenue is fine. But for eff sakes, dont let ur ads cover up the posts. If i cant read the posts, wtf am i here for? The video that plays automatically is infuriating too.
- hugefemale dog77

Hey, I would recommend just getting adblock at this point. It'll block all of that. It is unfortunate that the site will lose the ad revenues from the hits, but when they're so incredibly intrusive I feel there is no other option.

I am all for supporting sites, and generally turn off adblock, but every time my speakers got blasted by overly loud auto-playing adverts it was bounding over the line (especially late at night when people are trying to sleep etc.).

At the very least the volume needs to be corrected for that business to return, as for now...I reiterate. Simply get adblock.

Hey, I would recommend just getting adblock at this point. It'll block all of that. It is unfortunate that the site will lose the ad revenues from the hits, but when they're so incredibly intrusive I feel there is no other option.

I am all for supporting sites, and generally turn off adblock, but every time my speakers got blasted by overly loud auto-playing adverts it was bounding over the line (especially late at night when people are trying to sleep etc.).

At the very least the volume needs to be corrected for that business to return, as for now...I reiterate. Simply get adblock.
- MacThere

couldnt agree more. and thanks, ill try that.

In a communications company no one dept creates that kind of revenue. It's one machine with hundreds of working parts so to speak that help produce that kind of overall revenue obviously unlike professional sports.

But that's really inconsequential to the point, a union is a union is a union. They're all similar in structure and purpose, and they all operate in the same manner. The amount of money they represent is of little to no relevance, they all represent and fight for a group or groups of individuals looking to get the fairest deal and overall wage in relation to their particular trade or business.
- MnGump

I think the money they represent is absolutely relevant. That's why the players are able to command the salaries they command. And the amount of money the Union as a whole is paid.

As an employee of an NHL team I find it a joke that Donald Fehr is asking a $10,000 stipened for the union. I was initially backing the players on this Lockout, lets face 7 years ago both sides sat out a full year to set back the sport who knows how far, yet they agreed to this deal and now the owners want them to give back a lot on the surface. But with that said as an owner if I am paying my employee their handsome salary guaranteed and then bonuses of more then 50% of renevue there is something off in any business model! And now I have to say Donald Fehr is the issue. He speaks for all NHLPA members, yet more then 2/3rds the players make less the "league average" of 1.2 million dollars. I keep thinking about the many players I know that are not happy about the current situation, and keep their lips zipped for the better of the union (or should I say the better of 1/3rd of the NHLPA) as an eample look at the TSN.CA clip and it is Shane Doan in favor of the status quo and Dan Cleary waivering towards new ideas and resolution; Donald there is nothing worth holding out for at this point - other then your $10,000 stipened. Unlike the MLB of 1994 your union has to give up revenue to make it right - NO end gain! As I struggle to pay my mortgage!!! Mr. Eklund thanks for your time!
- Isleswknowledge

This is where you have to know your facts. The executive board of the NHL Players' Association authorized a $10,000 stipend to every player on Saturday as the lockout continues.
The members of each NHL club elect a Club Player Representative and an Alternative Club Player Representative. Each Club Player Representative serves as a voting member of the NHLPA Executive Board. The Executive Director also sits on the Executive Board as a non-voting member
Donald Fehr is the Executive Director of the NHLPA. He has no say in the matter. The players voted for the stipend, out of their own Money!

I wasn't sure who I should have picked, just as long as it was one of the habs and Canucks.
- weirdoh

It was just insulting and annoying enough that someone *could* take it seriously. It was a worthy troll. I enjoyed it.

Could have picked Gomez or Kaberle
- Symba007

Wouldn't have been a troll though... Habs fans would have agreed. We can't allow that.

couldnt agree more. and thanks, ill try that.
- hugefemale dog77

I switched recently from IE to Firefox and got adblock. It works beautifully.

As a bonus, my laptop is faster and more stable without IE.

Actually, if you read a player's contract, it is always made subject to the CBA and, therefore, always subject to change through collective bargaining. Knowing that, the top free agents in 2012 signed contracts with huge up-front signing bonuses that kicked in prior to the expiration of the current CBA.

The only cause here is money.
- zenator

That's always been the case. Still doesn't change what the players are asking for. Top Free Agents didn't get huge up front signing bonuses because of the expiring CBA. They got them because they're top free agents. Same as the top free agents last year, and the year before that.