The NHL Thread

[LedZeppfan77]

"And of course the one where Oreilly and Milbury beat that guy with his own shoe at MSG. You just dont see it anymore. The fines are too stiff. And the suspensions to severe. "

here you go Rick.......

Loved it. Classic

[zepscoda]

I miss the NHL……… I love the sport of hockey, IMHO, it’s the best sport known to mankind. There is nothing like going to a game, the smell of the ice, and the sounds of the game the………..the sound of the skate blade on the ice, the sound of the puck hitting the boards, hitting the thud of the puck hitting the blocker and the blade of the stick as its smacked with precision upon a puck to propel it to speeds in excess of 90 miles per hour or more if your Weber , Chara, or Byfuglien.

It’s a game of skill, violence, and durability…………but most intriguing of all, for me it’s a game of sounds. A collection of sounds we all take for granted at times, but without ,the game wouldn’t be the same.

Yes we are getting out fix with the AHL, NAHL, USHL and other leagues around the world, but it’s the NHL that has the best to offer and it always has regardless of the time period or the rules. The best come to play for the NHL, and today in 2013 -2013, it’s the best and their owners that are cheating us the fans, the fans that have supported this league for a very long time.

When this lockout/strike is over with, I will watch, but Direct TV better cut me a break or better yet, give me Center Ice for free for the rest of whatever season remains, and the Stars better reduce their prices….that said, if the sunbelt markets don’t offer reduced pricing, their arenas will be ghost towns.

[LedZeppfan77]

I miss the NHL……… I love the sport of hockey, IMHO, it’s the best sport known to mankind. There is nothing like going to a game, the smell of the ice, and the sounds of the game the………..the sound of the skate blade on the ice, the sound of the puck hitting the boards, hitting the thud of the puck hitting the blocker and the blade of the stick as its smacked with precision upon a puck to propel it to speeds in excess of 90 miles per hour or more if your Weber , Chara, or Byfuglien.

It’s a game of skill, violence, and durability…………but most intriguing of all, for me it’s a game of sounds. A collection of sounds we all take for granted at times, but without ,the game wouldn’t be the same.

Yes we are getting out fix with the AHL, NAHL, USHL and other leagues around the world, but it’s the NHL that has the best to offer and it always has regardless of the time period or the rules. The best come to play for the NHL, and today in 2013 -2013, it’s the best and their owners that are cheating us the fans, the fans that have supported this league for a very long time.

When this lockout/strike is over with, I will watch, but Direct TV better cut me a break or better yet, give me Center Ice for free for the rest of whatever season remains, and the Stars better reduce their prices….that said, if the sunbelt markets don’t offer reduced pricing, their arenas will be ghost towns.

To be blunt, your Stars do not deserve a team. They do not sell out that place at all. I have seen the empty seats on Center Ice. Joke. I miss the sport too., I am now thinking its over. No hope. Assholes on both sides. Bettman, Daly and Fehr can go jump in Lake Erie

[zepscoda]

Not my Stars, I just happened to relocate down here, and they are the NHL team of the area, maybe the center ice tix would move if the prices were lower. No one down here is going to drop 5 bills a seat for hockey for the home team. You'll get that in an original six market without a problem.

[LedZeppfan77]

Not my Stars, I just happened to relocate down here, and they are the NHL team of the area, maybe the center ice tix would move if the prices were lower. No one down here is going to drop 5 bills a seat for hockey for the home team. You'll get that in an original six market without a problem.

And in Buffalo

[zepscoda]

If I had my way, most of the sunbelt teams would be moved to Canada.

[LedZeppfan77]

If I had my way, most of the sunbelt teams would be moved to Canada.

I think its a good thing we get more cities to grasp the sport. Its the most exciting game on Earth. But it has been marketed by the wrong idiots that are killing it in the US. That bastard Bettman should have been whacked after he gave Dallas the Cup on a silver plattter

[ally]

Loved it. Classic

Actually, I always hated that kind of shit and I think the game still suffers from that stigma in the USA. Nope, I'd rather watch the present day Canucks and Blackhawks in a great fast skating, great passing, hard hitting playoff series any day of the week. Even if my Canucks ended up losing the series.

[LedZeppfan77]

Actually, I always hated that kind of shit and I think the game still suffers from that stigma in the USA. Nope, I'd rather watch the present day Canucks and Blackhawks in a great fast skating, great passing, hard hitting playoff series any day of the week. Even if my Canucks ended up losing the series.

Ally, what are you drinking tonight and how much? You know I love the game too. Perrault, Martin and Robert outshot the Flyers something like 47-15 and lost 1-0. I never saw a better line for skill. I appreciate the game more than most fights. But that one was special. And so too the old bench clearing brawls. I dont want anyone injured permanently, but Derek Sanderson was entertaining. So was Domi dragging that guy into the box and so was Milbury and Oreilly beating that businessman with his own shoe. Sheer entertainment. I also loved it when Artest, or World Peace got into that brawl and the fans peltered his ass on the way through the runway.

[ally]

Ally, what are you drinking tonight and how much? You know I love the game too. Perrault, Martin and Robert outshot the Flyers something like 47-15 and lost 1-0. I never saw a better line for skill. I appreciate the game more than most fights. But that one was special. And so too the old bench clearing brawls. I dont want anyone injured permanently, but Derek Sanderson was entertaining. So was Domi dragging that guy into the box and so was Milbury and Oreilly beating that businessman with his own shoe. Sheer entertainment. I also loved it when Artest, or World Peace got into that brawl and the fans peltered his ass on the way through the runway.

Nothing ! Not a drop.

I know you love the game Rick. I just stated that I don't really miss the brawls . I especially don't miss the scrums in front of the net that seemed to take forever to break up.

[LedZeppfan77]

Nothing ! Not a drop.

I know you love the game Rick. I just stated that I don't really miss the brawls . I especially don't miss the scrums in front of the net that seemed to take forever to break up.

The only thing stopping them is this term limits contract crap. Daly said "its the hill we will die on". Those words are chilling to a fan and to a player. Do these people like Bettman really love the game? They are exposed as nothing more than businessmen. They do not love the game. Bettman proved that in 99 when he disregarded his in the crease rule and was too tired to not just hand Dallas the Cup and fuck us on Hull's goal. Hull is a piece of shit himself. His father was the real player. Bettman and Daly have done a hell of a job. Now its supposedly going to court. The NHL has the audacity to sue. They will laugh him out of court. The president of the United States who I am not a big fan of, did make sense and said to fix this. We know he is a basketball fan, as I am too, and does not care about hockey, but at least he respects the feelings of us that do

[ally]

The only thing stopping them is this term limits contract crap. Daly said "its the hill we will die on". Those words are chilling to a fan and to a player. Do these people like Bettman really love the game? They are exposed as nothing more than businessmen. They do not love the game. Bettman proved that in 99 when he disregarded his in the crease rule and was too tired to not just hand Dallas the Cup and fuck us on Hull's goal. Hull is a piece of shit himself. His father was the real player. Bettman and Daly have done a hell of a job. Now its supposedly going to court. The NHL has the audacity to sue. They will laugh him out of court. The president of the United States who I am not a big fan of, did make sense and said to fix this. We know he is a basketball fan, as I am too, and does not care about hockey, but at least he respects the feelings of us that do

I'm no fan of Bettman but in fairness, I think he 's been backed into a corner by the owners. They want everything and they want it now. How the hell can anyone negotiate when there's no room for compromise ?

[LedZeppfan77]

I'm no fan of Bettman but in fairness, I think he 's been backed into a corner by the owners. They want everything and they want it now. How the hell can anyone negotiate when there's no room for compromise ?

Do you think its over for this year?

[ally]

Do you think its over for this year?

It's become clear to me that the owners were never serious about negotiating an agreement and I don't see the players just laying down so ...yeah, I have to say that it's probably over.

[Arcane29]

It's become clear to me that the owners were never serious about negotiating an agreement and I don't see the players just laying down so ...yeah, I have to say that it's probably over.

...the players have to dance when the owners do, they can't just sit there and say more more more. Ten or so days ago, in that final push, the owners made every move they could, and would have backed off on the shorter contract max lengths if the players would've compromised with the length of the CBA. I guarantee you a majority of players would've said fine, but Fehr came back and said, don't take it, we can get more. I'd be infuriated if I was an owner too. Don't try to get me back to my original terms. When they interviewed Bettman after, and I saw how genuinely PISSED he was, it rose my hatred of Fehr and the "union" to another level... (what kind of union lets their workers go work somewhere else when locked out, anyway?). Players need to accept the fact that the NHL as a business does not exist without owners, and they have the upper hand because of that. A majority lose money each year, and they don't need their team to make a profit. It should be seen as a huge privilege to make more money than the average NFL player, while having your food, travel, equipment, etc paid for while you earn millions playing a game and those paying you take a huge financial risk and usually lose millions of dollars a year. And you have the highest percentage of revenue shares of the four major sports leagues. Quit crying, agree to a fucking deal, and go play again. If not, I'm sure the owners have no problem breaking your backs and locking out until you come back begging to play hockey.

[Anjin-san]

Damn!

[LedZeppfan77]

Damn!

Anjin-san, dont take this to heart, but cant you ever type more than one word or emoticon? I dont know if I have ever seen you do it? Maybe you just dont like to type? When you type the word Damn, it doesnt say much. Do you think there will be a season or not?

[Anjin-san]

Rick,........I am damn mad there *might* not be a NHL season,whatever the reason,such a great sport!

I try say somethings with less words and less :rant:

[ally]

...the players have to dance when the owners do, they can't just sit there and say more more more. Ten or so days ago, in that final push, the owners made every move they could, and would have backed off on the shorter contract max lengths if the players would've compromised with the length of the CBA. I guarantee you a majority of players would've said fine, but Fehr came back and said, don't take it, we can get more. I'd be infuriated if I was an owner too. Don't try to get me back to my original terms. When they interviewed Bettman after, and I saw how genuinely PISSED he was, it rose my hatred of Fehr and the "union" to another level... (what kind of union lets their workers go work somewhere else when locked out, anyway?). Players need to accept the fact that the NHL as a business does not exist without owners, and they have the upper hand because of that. A majority lose money each year, and they don't need their team to make a profit. It should be seen as a huge privilege to make more money than the average NFL player, while having your food, travel, equipment, etc paid for while you earn millions playing a game and those paying you take a huge financial risk and usually lose millions of dollars a year. And you have the highest percentage of revenue shares of the four major sports leagues. Quit crying, agree to a fucking deal, and go play again. If not, I'm sure the owners have no problem breaking your backs and locking out until you come back begging to play hockey.

The owners are demanding too many concessions at once and aren't prepared to back off on any of them. How can anyone negotiate with that hanging over your shoulders ?

[Arcane29]

There wasn't even an effort made to see if they would back off on anything. Owners most cared about length of CBA, and per ESPN at the time this happened were willing to forget about any UFA age raise, and contract length limits. It only seems like they weren't backing off because they were never given an adequate response to their offer with something more to work with. Can't back off a concession when you are told no, as opposed to a real negotiable return offer.

[LedZeppfan77]

There wasn't even an effort made to see if they would back off on anything. Owners most cared about length of CBA, and per ESPN at the time this happened were willing to forget about any UFA age raise, and contract length limits. It only seems like they weren't backing off because they were never given an adequate response to their offer with something more to work with. Can't back off a concession when you are told no, as opposed to a real negotiable return offer.

The Sabres have the nerve to send me emails asking if I want to buy merchandise.

[Arcane29]

The Sabres have the nerve to send me emails asking if I want to buy merchandise.

haha the sabres have the nerve to do a lot of things I disagree with.

[ally]

There wasn't even an effort made to see if they would back off on anything. Owners most cared about length of CBA, and per ESPN at the time this happened were willing to forget about any UFA age raise, and contract length limits. It only seems like they weren't backing off because they were never given an adequate response to their offer with something more to work with. Can't back off a concession when you are told no, as opposed to a real negotiable return offer.

I'm not defending Fehr but let's remember that the players entered these negotiations demanding...nothing . The owners entered them demanding... everything. To this point, the only ones who have conceeded anything and the only ones who will end up conceeding anything ..are the players. Outside of the salary cap, the owners really didn't have anything they could barter with

[Arcane29]

I'm not defending Fehr but let's remember that the players entered these negotiations demanding...nothing . The owners entered them demanding... everything. To this point, the only ones who have conceeded anything and the only ones who will end up conceeding anything ..are the players. Outside of the salary cap, the owners really didn't have anything they could barter with

And I'm trying not to defend owners as well, but it sure looks that way because the instant the players hired Fehr I could not pin a lack of a season on anyone else. I certainly don't like the fact that Jacobs runs the show...

And players are conceding because owners are hurting. Not really hurting, as no one worth millions is truly hurting, but the sabres, for example, sell out 99% of season tickets year in and year out. And lose millions of dollars each year. That's messed up. While paying every expense of the player, equipment, travel, food, healthcare, medical care, etc. While earning 43% of HRR, even though the players don't put a cent towards the league they receive 57. They have other places to market their skill even if this one were to disappear. I guess I just won't ever have sympathy for someone making millions playing a game.

[Strider]

This is all reminding me of the Vietnam War, and a common refrain heard during that time: "We had to destroy the village to save it."

Apparently, the powers-that-be in the NHL are following that strategy and are hell-bent on destroying hockey.