Well this hockey season is toast. No chance this gets remotely done and when it does the fat cat owners will win. I did just look online to see there is an AHL and Ontario Hockey league teams near me. Hamilton Bulldogs & Niagara Icedogs, so if I need a live fix I know I'm crossing the border- maybe during Winter Break from school!
Alas...I am not able to make my play-off game due to nagging knee/calf injury...aka: old age. The guys were talking about traveling to Las Vegas next year for another tournament. Well...we shall see. Maybe it will be better tomorrow morning.
There is just so much wrong with the lockout this time around, that the outcome will undoubtebly be very different from the last one. It seems like everyone knows what is wrong except the NHL and NHLPA. In a war between billionaires and millionaires, a lot of fans are going to come away with a sour taste in their mouths. Problem is (for the moment) the NHL thinks/knows it has a monopoly on the product fans want, i.e. professional hockey. But, that might not always be the case. If only other leagues (KHL, Europe) were more accessible to us, and broadcasters actually provided coverage of WHL/AHL/etc., we could get our fix elsewhere. And part of me hopes this happens. The NHL is not the only dealers of hockey - but, truth is enough fans will come back no matter what, and I doubt either side will learn a valuable lesson. The one thing coming through as a silver lining for me is the momentum of certain markets (Bettman markets I should say) is going to sqaushed like so many unviable dreams. Folks in LA, those who were paying attention, have probably already forgotten what all the fuss was about. If they don't save this season, and actually come back with something we want to watch, good riddance. I want to watch sport, not feed the machine.
Well the players are going to lose. It's just a matter of how much they will eventually have to concede. What makes me mad about this lockout is that the owners did not stick to their own terms set in the last CBA. Rising payroll? Well stop handing out huge contracts to sub par players for multi millions like candy then? I look at the NHL like I look at most of what's wrong with the corporate or global corporate world. It's all about fat profits and greed not much about the end product.
Oh, you are totally right of course. The league has their head shoved deeply up their digestive tracts. They are boasting record profits, yet asking for (1) players to take a cut in salaries and basically (2) fans to cough up more for their product. Now how does this sound familiar? The players already made concessions in the last lockout, and now the league wants to renege on contracts it signed? Don't sign them then. Say what you will about the exhorbitant salaries for the players (I certainly don't think they are earning them), but a contract is a contract. You can't go and a change it later or threaten to fire/lockout employees because you have a change of heart. This would not be accetable behaviour from any employer. I have been saying this for years, but a simple solution is a base salary for players, which goes up with experience in the league, with additional funds provided on a performance basis; and this would increase in the playoffs. This improves the game, heightens competition, flattens out salaries overall, and ensures we are getting a product that we pay for. Seems like everyone would be happy. Of course the players would be against this now, because they've already been awarded huge monies, and who could blame them? As a Montreal fan, players with big contracts that have no motivation to be on the ice or make plays is something I am all too familiar with.
Fuck hockey! This season's toast, they just cancelled the Winter Classic. This is going to go the distance mark my words. There will be no season this year.
Can't say I am surprised at all. I have been in that camp for a while. Just looking at where either side is coming from and what they are placing their priorities on, and the fact that they are acting like a couple of spoiled children - all gives little hope to any agreement. I miss hockey, but not the giant turd it has become.
Just saw a pretty exciting AHL game in Springfield, MA tonight. Yeah, I know it's not the same but it was a good fix for me and the family. Much to my chagrin Braden Holtby was tending the net. He and the Caps knocked the B's out in the 1st round for those that don't recall. I'm sure we'll check out a few more AHL as well as college games this season.
Sort of hockey but more the video kind. Has anyone seen this glitch in the new NHL13? It's called the 'Hercules Check'. Oh man I want to get it now just for that! Prime example- the player I hate the most Crosby gets knocked out of the park: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5b_wHVCYUk I recently did damage to Crosby myself and saved the clip. I'm currently in my 9th season of be a pro and purposely signed with the Flyers 3 seasons ago just to play the Pens: http://youtu.be/VGeYA_QiBEg immediately change quality to 480- don't know why it shows it all blurry like that.
I am disappointed they brought it back at all, such a waste at this point, and I especially don't want to be watching hockey (or what passes for it in the southern rinks) in June. If they think they are earning back any appreciation of the fans for 'saving the season' then Gary Bettman is an even bigger idiot than I ever thought.
I've forced myself to watch some NFL games and its tough. Pales in comparison to the excitement I get from watching hockey. Not that I could even afford going to games before so I'll still try to watch them illegally on the net. My hope is the fans do revolt and make these chumps pay by not showing up for the games either. Still it will be a race to the finish even if it is a half season. Go Bruins
Been to a couple ECHL games. Happy to see the attendance for the games have been pretty good the past few games...unlike when we had the Spiders (AHL). The best part...Cow Belles! My NHL 13 season is being spent playing in Finland
Anyone else excited the puck is dropping today? As mad as I was for the lockout truth is I never go to games (too much money). So like most things, it's better to do from the comfort of home (and cheaper and less annoying). I'm going to watch the Flyers vs Pens today. I also had some weird ass dream last night I played for the Flyers, only Keith Richards was my line mate and he was trying to tell me how to injure Sidney Crosby. So fucking bizarre, Bruins are my team and I only had a few beers playing blackjack last night. I must be jonesing for HOCKEY.
watched the banner ceremony for the Kings and almost fell asleep. at least now there is something to watch on TV.
I still say I can take it or leave it at this point, but would no doubt be watching if I could. BUT, that being said, they opened up a free 'scrimmage' session here for fans two days ago. People lined up starting at 6am and the gates didn't open until 1730. Given that it was -16 without the windchill, obviously no one is going to be feeling any recourse from us in their pocketbooks anytime soon. It just really gets my goat that after punishing us (and no one else) by cancelling the majority of the season, then arguing back and forth over nothingness for months and months - we are just told they reached an agreement and hockey is back. Well sorry guys, but FU. If your moral ground you were bargaining over was so goddamn precious to you, then have the guts to tell us what you conceded [if anything] and why that was so much more important to you than putting a product on the ice, for the people who pay your salaries, directly and indirectly. Give me some details. You are not making any headway into my good graces by half-assing a season. You have a long way to go to earn any respect from me. /gripe Yeah, I'll watch if and when I can, but it is for lack of anything better.
Thankfully you are not a Buffalo fan Lixx. They dropped a brutal one today against Montreal. Can't believe their only point came on a short-handed goal by Vanek. The play is still rough (not in the physical sense) all over the league, it will be interesting to see how this plays out with the shortened season, as teas struggle to find their stride in time.
I was watching the game! Well till it was 4-zip. Man I can't believe this is the same team that beat my Bruins earlier this week, that was one hell of a game! Actually GOING to the Sabres vs Panthers game tomorrow at 3pm. Woo hooo...better than nothing- my g/f's brother got tickets. About ready to skip out of physics homework to watch the Bruins vs Mapleleafs now
Wow, NBC announcers are pretty awful. I am going to say this before this game gets any further: I am not one of those guys that holds Price up on this huge pedestal, but Budaj is really bad, just seeing him in net makes me nervous. EDIT: dammit, I cursed it! Not 10 seconds later.
