***Official*** NHL Lockout news thread ***Confirmed***

[Aquaman]

Hall of Fame linesman D'Amico dies

Canadian Press
5/30/2005 11:27:20 AM

TORONTO (CP) - NHL referees and linesmen are gathering to pay last respects
to John D'Amico, who inspired each and every one of them to be the best they
could possibly be.

It's a tight fraternity, and none among them was more revered than was
D'Amico. Afflicted with leukemia and bone cancer, he died Sunday night at
the age of 67.

He's being remembered far and wide.

"John became like a father to me," says Pat Dapuzzo, 46, who was assigned
when he broke into the league in 1984 to room with the then-veteran linesman
so he could learn a thing or two. "He loved me very much.

"He took care of me."

Dapuzzo's son, Anthony, 11, is bringing the linesmen's sweater given to him
by D'Amico, his godfather, and will wear it to the service.

D'Amico had an outstanding 23-year career on the ice. He was so good that he
was picked for the Stanley Cup final every year, and he worked many an
international contest.

"Most times you watch the sports classics TV and it's a big game, you always
see John out there," says Dapuzzo.

D'Amico moved into the front office as a supervisor of officials in 1987,
and he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1993.

"I had the Wayne Gretzky of linesmen as my teammate," says Dapuzzo. "I knew
how fortunate I was."

Dorothy D'Amico, who lives in nearby Mississauga, often called her husband
David, so Dapuzzo started referring to him as John David, and still does.

"How some young punk from Hoboken got to the NHL and survived, the only
reason it happened was because I was fortunate enough to be on a line with
John David," says Dapuzzo. "That's how it all happened."

Outside of work, and his devotion to his family, D'Amico spent countless
hours in charitable endeavours.

"Everybody thought John David was this big tough guy but he had another side
of him," says Dapuzzo.

Angelo D'Amico, who turned 31 Sunday, has followed his dad into the NHL
officiating fraternity. Other children are sons Jeff and Anthony and
daughter Tina.

If Angelo is one-half as serious about his job as was his dad, he'll be a
piece of work.

"Words couldn't even tell you," Dapuzzo says when asked to describe his
mentor's work ethic. "His passion for the game - he was so serious."

D'Amico would silently sit in the locker-room for at least an hour without
speaking before games. He'd lay his equipment on the floor and if anybody
touched it he'd get angry.

"He'd say, `If I have a bad game tonight you guys will pay for it,"' says
Dapuzzo.

D'Amico would take three strips of black tape - one for each period - that
were six to eight inches long and stick them on a chair. Before he went onto
the ice, he'd take one strip of black tape so he could chew on it during
play.

There is a photo of D'Amico, blood flowing from a gash on the left side of
his face near the eye, taken during a Montreal-Quebec game in 1987.
Intensity screams from his eyes. He'd been clipped by a high stick but he
continued to work while play went on.

Other times, he'd fearlessly step between brawny behemoths throwing punches.
When they saw it was D'Amico interceding, they'd behave.

"He was one tough guy," says Dapuzzo.

During his days as a supervisor, D'Amico was a coach to the officials.

"John David made us into athletes," says Dapuzzo. "He made us understand how
important we were out there.

"He expected us to go out there with the same desire and intensity he had
and to perform under any conditions."

When D'Amico showed up for a game, the referees and linesmen knew coaches
and players would show them extra respect because D'Amico was in the
building. The intensity would heighten for them as well because they knew
D'Amico would be watching, so they'd want to produce their best effort.

Last week, Dapuzzo slept in a chair in D'Amico's Princess Margaret Hospital
room.

"It made him feel better knowing somebody was in the room at night. When I
had to go home, I told him I'd be back with Anthony and to hang in there. We
were coming Monday."

And so they did, for a reason they hadn't expected this soon.

"I guess it was time," Dapuzzo says of D'Amico's death. "The next couple of
days are going to be tough."<

When the memories flood back, he recalls his very first night rooming with
D'Amico, who'd insisted Dapuzzo turn in by 8 p.m. because they had an early
wakeup.

"I said goodnight and all he said was goodnight and the light went out. Five
minutes later, he turned the light back on and he said, `I'm going to tell
you something, son. If I love you, I'll give you my heart. But if you cross
me, you'd better look out."'

Dapuzzo never crossed D'Amico. Few did.

Referee Dan Marouelli, 49, says his most vivid recollections of D'Amico are
"his dedication to the sport, his fellow officials, and to his family."

"He had a work ethic that was something that I admired more than anything,"
says Marouelli. "He taught me that you get out of it what you put into it."

Marouelli learned the lesson well, and D'Amico could see as much. In a
letter posted in December 2002, a few months after D'Amico suffered a heart
attack that required a bypass, he congratulated Marouelli on becoming one of
the best in the business, and he reminded him to cherish the things that
matter most - his health and his family - and to remember always to enjoy
his time on the ice.

"It's something I'll cherish for the rest of my life," Marouelli says of the
letter. "I'll never forget those words.

"He was like a father to me. I worked with him on the ice and when he became
a supervisor he truly had the best interests of his people at heart. He
wanted you to become a better person and not just a better official."

Once when he broke a wrist, circa 1983, D'Amico paid a visit to
then-supervisor of officials Scotty Morrison to demand he be allowed to
return to work. Morrison had a big oak desk and, attempting to show the boss
his arm was fine, D'Amico lifted the desk. He reinjured the arm.

"He was old school but in a good way," says Marouelli. "He was special.

"He was like the Rocky Balboa of our staff. I say that in the most
affectionate way."

Don Van Massenhoven, 44, past executive board member on the NHL Officials'
Association, had D'Amico as a boss and describes him as "a strong man with a
big, big heart."

"He cared so much about the guys he was teaching. He really wanted you to
succeed and would help you any way he could. He'd tell us to be positive and
always give it our best but to enjoy it, savour the moment.

"He'd say there were three teams out there. We were the third team. `Work
with your teammates and support them.'

"He was a consummate professional. He was an unbelievable man - very
well-respected, kind of a living legend."

D'Amico worked as recently as last year in the NHL's war room in Toronto
studying games in progress.

"A true testament to John's legacy is the respect that players, general
managers, coaches, fellow officials and fans had for him," said NHL
executive vice-president Jim Gregory. "We extend our deepest sympathies to
Dorothy, his children and grandchildren."

Cheers,
Aquaman

 

[Aquaman]

McKenzie: Factions within the NHLPA

TSN.ca Staff
5/30/2005

The CBA talks resume Wednesday and Thursday in Toronto amid a growing sense
of inevitability that both sides are inching towards an agreement that
should, or could, come before the end of June.

But it's too soon for unbridled optimism as there are factions within the
NHL Players' association who are clearly not on the same page.

One faction is what we'll call the pro-deal players. They want to get a deal
done and get that deal done as soon as possible. This faction is said to be
led by Trevor Linden, Mike Gartner, Brendan Shanahan and Bill Guerin,
amongst others.

The other faction is what we'll call the anti-deal players. They believe
things are moving way too far way too fast, that the pro-deal players are
effectively rolling over and playing dead for the NHL on every critical
issue and that the NHL isn't making enough concessions.

Exactly who belongs to this anti-deal group is open to speculation. There is
no concrete evidence to suggest NHLPA executive director Bob Goodenow is
actively leading the anti-deal forces, but anyone who knows Goodenow
understands his sensibilities would be closer to the anti-deal group than
the pro-deal group.

Sources suggest like-minded individuals within the anti-deal group are now
trying to gather support behind the scenes for what could be a last-gasp
attempt to either slow down the negotiating process or derail it entirely,
if the NHL isn't prepared to make more concessions. The anti-deal forces are
telling players a deal could be struck in a week or two and that if they
want to voice an objection to that, the time is now.

The difficult thing is trying to figure out the levels of support from rank
and file NHLPA membership for each faction. The pro-deal players believe
they represent the majority of the NHLPA membership, who after losing a full
season just want to make sure they're back playing hockey in the fall no
matter what.

But members of the anti-deal group believe they represent a silent majority
of NHLPA members, who if they knew the exact details of what was being
agreed to would rise up and say no way. We should find out soon enough
whether the anti-dealers have the numbers they think they have.

If these two factions within the NHLPA are going to clash, it's likely to
happen in the very near future. Which is what will make Wednesday and
Thursday's negotiating sessions extremely interesting.

Wednesday is a small group meeting. Thursday is a large group meeting and
there is a strong sense on both sides of the NHL-NHLPA fence that it is this
session which will determine whether settlement is at hand or it's going to
continue to be a long and tortured process with no end in sight.

Cheers,
Aquaman

 

[Aquaman]

Hope surrounds upcoming NHL talks

Canadian Press
5/31/2005 3:54:03 PM

TORONTO (CP) - It's still a fragile environment but there's a sense the NHL
lockout could finally be entering the stretch run and perhaps even end by
Canada Day.

But there are all kinds of factors that could blow away that optimistic
outlook, first and foremost the possibility that one side may try to go for
the kill if it senses vulnerability from the other. That would end any
chances of resolving the lockout this summer.

In the meantime, the NHL and NHL Players' Association continue to meet
regularly, this week at a secret location in Toronto starting with
Wednesday's meeting. They've met 16 times since the season was cancelled
Feb. 16.

A smaller group will meet Wednesday and once again break down financial data
in a bid to find common ground on what constitutes revenues. Bettman and
NHLPA executive director Bob Goodenow will then re-enter the picture
Thursday along with the key players on both sides as a larger group sits
down for a full-blown bargaining session.

The focus continues to be the review of financial measurements and
accounting practices of the league's 30 teams. Both sides have agreed that a
salary cap model with an upper and lower limit will be the centrepiece of
the collective bargaining agreement, but the tough part comes with tying
revenues to the moving cap figure year in and year out. In what has been a
major bone of contention going back two years, the two sides have battled on
what exactly constitutes revenue, whether teams are reporting all of their
concessions, all of their suite sales, etc.

By all accounts, progress has been made in this area over the last few weeks
and perhaps as early as this week, both sides will agree on a system that
defines all areas of financial reporting. Once that major hurdle is cleared,
it's time to knock off all the other issues such as free agency, salary
arbitration, drug testing, Olympic participation, proposed rule changes,
etc.

Another major hurdle is what the upper-limit figure will be for the salary
cap starting next season. Given that commissioner Gary Bettman cancelled the
season after offering a team-by-team cap of $42.5 million US, expect next
year's upper limit to be lower than that given all the damage suffered by
the industry and Bettman's public warning that the league's offer would get
worse as time went on.

The NHLPA is probably willing to bite the bullet on a low cap figure to
start off next season as long there's room to grow in future years with
bigger revenues leading to a higher salary cap, something that the league
wasn't willing to do before. Also, the union feels strongly about having a
minimum payroll figure, which the league did not have in its February
proposals.

The union has also gained ground, after a long battle, in getting the league
to increase revenue sharing among teams if revenues expand in future
seasons.

Another issue to iron out in future talks is the gap between the upper and
lower limit. The union's April 4 offer had a $20-million gap but the league
would like to see that around $10 million. That's still to be discussed.

In other words, there's still much work to be done. But the end is finally
is sight after a lockout triggered last September. Those hockey fans who
still care want to know when exactly this could end. An educated guess would
say anywhere from mid-June to early July.

But one thing is clear: both sides recognize the need to finally end this,
the need for players to know they'll be at training camp, the need for teams
to sell tickets and the need for the league market a game that has one foot
in the grave.

On Wednesday, the NHLPA roster will feature senior director Ted Saskin,
outside counsel John McCambridge, players' executive committee president
Trevor Linden and vice-president Vincent Damphousse as well as two union
financial people. The league will have chief legal officer Bill Daly, Boston
Bruins owner Jeremy Jacobs, outside counsel Bob Batterman, NHL general
counsel David Zimmerman, lawyer Shep Goldfein and other financial figures.

Likely representing the league Thursday will be Bettman, Daly, Jacobs,
Goldfein, Zimmerman, director of hockey operations Colin Campbell, New
Jersey Devils CEO and GM Lou Lamoriello, board of governors chairman Harley
Hotchkiss of the Calgary Flames and Nashville Predators owner Craig Leipold.

The NHLPA will have Goodenow, Saskin, associate counsel Ian Pulver, director
of business relations Mike Gartner, McCambridge, Detroit Red Wings veteran
player Brendan Shanahan, and the players' executive committee: Linden,
Damphousse, Bill Guerin, Daniel Alfredsson, Arturs Irbe, Trent Klatt and Bob
Boughner.

Cheers,
Aquaman

 

[meltdown75]

But one thing is clear: both sides recognize the need to finally end this, the need for players to know they'll be at training camp, the need for teams to sell tickets and the need for the league market a game that has one foot in the grave.

:thumbsup:

one can only hope that the "factions" within the NHLPA do not implode and ruin what the two sides have worked on thus far.

Thanks Aquaman :beer:

 

[Aquaman]

Probably old news but I have to catch up from 30 days "vacation"

More to come

Cheers,
Aquaman

 

[sandorski]

Please, make this nonsense stop!

 

[Aquaman]

NHL, players fight over QC labour law

Canadian Press
5/31/2005 10:42:31 PM

MONTREAL (CP) - A new skirmish between the National Hockey League and
striking players is taking place at Quebec's labour relations board over
attempts by players to secure union certification.

During a meeting that lasted more than four hours on Tuesday, the NHL
disputed the commission's jurisdiction to decide the case because it claims
labour relations between the NHL and the players' association is regulated
by American labour laws.

Recognizing a union only in Quebec for Montreal Canadiens players would
effectively create unique conditions for some players and destroy the proper
functioning of the league, officials argued.

The NHL said players with the Habs are salaried workers according to Quebec
labour code. It also claimed the league is the players' employer, not the
Montreal hockey club.

League lawyer Roy Heenan said the players' association has implicitly
accepted this fact for 40 years.

But Gaston Nadeau, lawyer for the players' association, said the Canadiens
pay the salaries and sign the contracts with players.

Players Saku Koivu and Craig Rivet made that point with reporters.

''Our employer is the Montreal Canadiens, we are paid by the Montreal
Canadiens'' and not by the National Hockey League, they said.

The labour board hearings will resume over several days in June and July.

Players with the Vancouver Canucks are also seeking union accreditation in
British Columbia.

Quebec and B.C. are reputed to have the most favourable labour laws for
workers.

In Quebec, for example, laws prevent the use of replacement workers during a
labour conflict.

Cheers,
Aquaman

 

[Aquaman]

NHL rival league in the works?

TSN.ca Staff
6/1/2005 3:02:37 AM

If the NHL and NHLPA can't work out their labour problems soon, a rival
league is in the works.

According to the Toronto Star, players are considering a plan to work with
former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani and Canadian diplomat Maurice Strong to
form the International Hockey Association.

The league would reportedly need to raise as much as $5 billion (U.S) to get
the league off the ground, according to a plan reviewed by the paper.

Ted Saskin, senior director of the NHLPA, said the union has been approached
by several different groups proposing alternative options for its members.

"Most of these groups have made these proposals on a confidential basis and
the NHLPA will not be commenting on them. Our primary focus has always been
to reach an agreement with the NHL on a new CBA (collective bargaining
agreement)."

Cheers,
Aquaman

 

[Aquaman]

McKenzie: Deal done? Not so fast...

TSN.ca Staff
6/1/2005 5:23:08 PM

With regard to a report from a Toronto radio station that agreement on a new
CBA is imminent or effectively done or just requiring the dotting of I's or
crossing of T's, we present for your consideration reaction to that...from
people who are actually part of the negotiations.

The first person could not be more succinct though it does require some
editing. "Total horsebleep," is what one individual said of the report
suggesting a deal is virtually done.

The second person was equally emphatic. "A deal is definitely not done and
much work remains to be done. I don't know where this deal is done nonsense
is coming from."

One of those quotes came from someone on the NHL side. One of them came from
the NHLPA side. And who said the NHL and NHLPA can't agree on anything?

The truth is there is widespread expectation that a deal is going to be
done, sooner rather than later. It's extremely doubtful that we should be
anticipating that deal being done in a matter of hours. Could it be just
days away? Perhaps. Could it be weeks? Perhaps. Could it still blow up?
Perhaps.

If you're frustrated by the lack of absolutes there, if you're dismayed at
our reporting skills for mouthing what any hockey fan at home could figure
out for himself, well, that's the reality of this situation.

Collective bargaining is a delicate process. Until the deal is done, fully
done, it's not done at all. And it is, apparently, not yet done. And as
often as I get lied to in this business, I'm prepared to take "the deal is
not done" responses from the individuals involved at face value.

Unfortunately, there are likely to be a lot of these "deal is done" reports
surfacing in the next little while, what with the two sides clearly on the
right track to reaching an agreement. One of them will actually prove to be
true and someone will get the scoop.

But you would like to think we all would have learned our lessons from the
last time out, that fateful Friday in February when The Hockey News jumped
the gun and posted a website story that said the deal was done. It wasn't,
as we all found out on what has become known as "Sad Saturday."

Clearly, we are now closer to getting that deal. Much closer. But it's not
done, not yet anyway.

Cheers,
Aquaman

 

[Aquaman]

NHL, NHLPA finish 10-hour CBA session

TSN.ca Staff with CP files
6/1/2005 9:37:15 PM

The NHL and NHL Players' Association resumed labour negotiations on
Wednesday, breaking down league and team revenues in a 10-hour meeting.

Both sides will go back to the table for a full-blown bargaining session on
Thursday, with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and NHLPA executive director
Bob Goodenow expected to be in attendence.

Wednesday's meeting was the 17th session since the season was cancelled Feb.
16.

The NHLPA roster Wednesday featured senior director Ted Saskin, outside
counsel John McCambridge, associate counsel Ian Pulver, players' executive
committee president Trevor Linden and vice-president Vincent Damphousse as
well as two union financial people. The league was represented by chief
legal officer Bill Daly, Boston Bruins owner Jeremy Jacobs, outside counsel
Bob Batterman, NHL general counsel David Zimmerman, lawyer Shep Goldfein and
other financial figures.

Representing the league Thursday will be Bettman, Daly, Goldfein, Zimmerman,
director of hockey operations Colin Campbell, New Jersey Devils CEO and GM
Lou Lamoriello, board of governors chairman Harley Hotchkiss of the Calgary
Flames and Nashville Predators owner Craig Leipold.

The NHLPA will have Goodenow, Saskin, Pulver, director of business relations
Mike Gartner, McCambridge, Detroit Red Wings veteran player Brendan
Shanahan, and the players' executive committee: Linden, Damphousse, Bill
Guerin, Daniel Alfredsson, Arturs Irbe, Trent Klatt and Bob Boughner.

The sides gathered in Chicago for two days of talks last week after
conducting a four-day session in New York the previous week.

The majority of the talks last week centred on breaking down league and team
revenues. Both sides discussed the report issued by former U.S. Securities &
Exchange Commission chairman Arthur Levitt.

In February 2004, Levitt completed a 10-month study of NHL finances, which
determined 19 of the league's 30 teams averaged $18 million in losses during
the 2002-03 season while just 11 averaged $6.4 million in profits.

Cheers,
Aquaman

 

[Aquaman]

Cautious optimism from both sides

Canadian Press
6/2/2005 4:26:20 PM

Daniel Briere refuses to let himself get fooled again.

The Buffalo Sabres centre is hearing all the talk that the NHL and NHL
Players' Association are making some progress and that maybe a deal will be
reached by July. But he won't bite this time.

''I'm a little more cautious about all the positive talk that we're hearing
in the last two weeks,'' Briere said Thursday. ''We got burned a couple of
times during the winter with this kind of talk, when we thought we had a
deal but then got told it wasn't even close. I'm following it closely for
sure, but I'm keeping an even keel.''

Players, coaches and GMs alike were put through an emotional roller-coaster
in mid-February. It appeared both sides were close to a deal only to see
commissioner Gary Bettman cancel the season Feb. 16, then almost un-cancel
it after an emergency last-ditch meeting brought Wayne Gretzky and Mario
Lemieux into the picture for one fleeting moment in Manhattan on Feb. 19.
That, too, led to more false hope.

And while sources on both sides of the labour dispute say there is a chance
the lockout could finally end in the next month or so, there are still many
obstacles that could prevent that from happening.

That's why Briere isn't getting his hopes up.

''When they tell me everything is absolutely done and finalized and we're
playing hockey, that's when I'll be excited,'' Briere said from Ottawa.

Similarly, New York Islanders captain Michael Peca is trying not to get
carried away with what he's hearing.

''I think the lesson that we've learned is that we better not get too
excited when it seems like something's going to happen and not get too down
when it seems like it's not going to happen,'' he said Thursday from his
off-season home in Buffalo. ''Until it's really done, it's not done. I don't
want to get too carried away, although I have to admit I've started to train
a little harder to prepare for a season.''

And it's not just the players battling their emotions right now.

''It's challenging, day to day, trying to temper the anticipation and the
emotion,'' Maple Leafs GM John Ferguson said Thursday from his Air Canada
Centre office.

Detroit Red Wings GM Ken Holland learned from the last lockout 10 years ago
to keep his emotions in check.

''I went through it in '94 and I found myself being on that roller-coaster,
being way up one day, thinking we were close, and then way down when it
looked like it would go on forever,'' he said Thursday from Detroit. ''For
me personally, having gone through that, I really told myself this time
around: `Try to keep your emotions as flat as you can.'''

Philadelphia Flyers head coach Ken Hitchcock is a bundle of nerves these
days. Don't even dare tell him there's a chance there won't be a deal this
summer and that the NHL may still be on hiatus in the fall.

''I don't want to even think about it,'' he said Thursday from Philadelphia.

His mindset is focused on what needs to take place after there is a deal:
selling the game back to jilted fans.

''I was in the sales business for a long time when I was in the real
world,'' said Hitchcock. ''And I know how much energy and work it takes to
sell things. And I'm trying to prepare myself to understand that that is
what it's going to take. We are going to have to literally have the attitude
that we're going to sell it one day at a time, one fan at a time to bring
them back to the game.

''We're going to have to do things that quite frankly may make all of us
feel uncomfortable. But we're going to have to do that to build our game
back. It isn't just going to be: open up the doors and come on back. We're
all going to have to work hard and work together.''

Holland and Ferguson echoed Hitchcock's comments.

'' Absolutely. We're all going to have to work together and make ourselves
more accessible than we were in the past in order to sell the game,''
Holland said.

And that comes from a guy who is in one of the best hockey markets in the
game, Hockeytown.

''You still have to re-connect with your fans,'' Holland said. ''I don't
care what market you're in. You're going to have to make sure that the fans
know that they're very important to the success of our sport.''

Even in Toronto, the corporate mecca of the hockey world, there's work ahead
of the Leafs after the lockout.

''We don't for one second take our partners, our fans, our season-ticket
holders, our suite holders - any of them for granted,'' Ferguson said
emphatically. ''We're committed to reaching out to them and making it
right.''

GMs will have their work cut out for them once and if there's a deal.
They'll have a whole new landscape to deal with in terms of a first-ever
salary cap, not to mention a likely quick entry draft crammed in as soon as
possible.

''I think once we'll get a new CBA we're going to lose sleep,'' Holland said
with a laugh.

Said Ferguson: ''It's already busy. We're preparing and trying to project
different scenarios. But clearly we're hopeful of something positive here.''

Cheers,
Aquaman

 

[Aquaman]

NHL, NHLPA to meet again on Friday

Canadian Press
6/2/2005 9:20:48 PM

TORONTO (CP) - Labour talks will continue a third straight day.

The NHL and NHL Players' Association will meet again Friday after yet
another long session Thursday, as both sides continued to plug away at a
long-awaited resolution to the lockout although there's still a few weeks of
work ahead of them. And that's if everything goes well.

Both sides had little to say after meeting from 10:30 a.m. EDT to 8:30 p.m.
EDT Thursday at a secret location in Toronto, on the heels of a 10-hour
meeting the previous day.

"As we will be resuming negotiations Friday, we will defer comment on the
status of negotiations until that session is complete," Bill Daly, the NHL's
executive vice-president and chief legal officer, said Thursday night in a
statement.

The two sides have focused on a review of revenue measurement and financial
reporting issues as they try to find common ground on team-by-team revenues
and how to associate them to a salary cap. Both sides have agreed that a
salary cap model with an upper and lower limit will be the centre piece of
the collective bargaining agreement.


Because there was more work to do on the financial review, the small-group
dynamic carried over from Wednesday's session and continued into Thursday.

The small group will pick it up again Friday morning, before the full-blown
bargaining sides will enter the room later Friday - including NHL
commissioner Gary Bettman and NHLPA executive director Bob Goodenow.

"We continued our small group meeting throughout the day and evening, and
plan to meet again tomorrow morning in both small and large groups. We will
not be making further comment until tomorrow's meetings have concluded,"
NHLPA senior director Ted Saskin said in a statement Thursday night.

Sources close to the talks said other issues were also brought up in
small-group discussions Thursday although the revenue review was once again
the dominant topic.

Thursday's session was the 18th between the two sides since the season was
cancelled Feb. 16.

The NHLPA roster once again Thursday featured Saskin, outside counsel John
McCambridge, associate counsel Ian Pulver, players' executive committee
president Trevor Linden and vice-president Vincent Damphousse as well as two
union financial people. The league was represented by chief legal officer
Bill Daly, board of governors chairman Harley Hotchkiss of the Calgary
Flames, Boston Bruins owner Jeremy Jacobs, outside counsel Bob Batterman,
NHL general counsel David Zimmerman, lawyer Shep Goldfein and other
financial figures.

Once the small group is done Friday morning, the larger group from the
league will feature Bettman, Daly, Goldfein, Zimmerman, Hotchkiss, Jacobs,
director of hockey operations Colin Campbell, New Jersey Devils CEO and GM
Lou Lamoriello and Nashville Predators owner Craig Leipold.

The NHLPA bigger group will have Goodenow, Saskin, Pulver, director of
business relations Mike Gartner, McCambridge, Detroit Red Wings veteran
player Brendan Shanahan, and the players' executive committee: Linden,
Damphousse, Bill Guerin, Daniel Alfredsson, Arturs Irbe, Trent Klatt and Bob
Boughner.

Cheers,
Aquaman

 

[Aquaman]

McKenzie: CBA talks a tough nut to crack

TSN.ca Staff
6/3/2005 6:26:05 PM

The reason that the NHL and NHL Players' Association have been talking for
as many hours and days as they have is because they are what I like to call,
'cracking the nut.'

That nut in question is the very economic system that both sides are trying
to put together.

That means linkage, revenues, what percentage that players are going to get,
the salary cap, salary floor and what that range in between is going to be.

Now they have both agreed on that framework - on how they want things to
work - but they haven't been able to plug the numbers in yet. That's not
surprising because while they are making progress, Bob Goodenow and the NHL
Players' Association are not going to roll over and play dead.

By all accounts, Goodenow is at his combative best in these meetings trying
to secure everything that he possibly can under the circumstances for his
constituents.

The bottom line is that once they get that nut cracked, it will be easier to
move on to everything else.

In contrast, everyone seems to want that instant fix. With that, rumours and
reports are flying around that a deal is imminent, a dispersal draft will
happen soon afterwards and entry level salaries will start at $500,000 US.

There is certainly a lot of fact and fiction floating around, but until both
sides come up with an agreement, none of it is fact.

Where some of the numbers are concerned, a $24 million US floor appears to
be reasonable and there seems to be some merit to that.

We're also hearing anywhere from $37 million to $39 million for a salary cap
ceiling and that seems reasonable as well. But until the entire CBA deal is
negotiated, nothing is set in stone. If the NHLPA doesn't like what they get
on entry-level systems, free agency or qualifying numbers, they can go back
and say they want the linkage re-adjusted. That could apply to the
percentage of revenue, salary floor or salary ceiling.

So take the numbers you're hearing with a grain of salt.

Where the report of that $500,000 US rookie cap is involved, that number is
ridiculously low to the point that if the NHL actually ushered it in, high
profile prospects like Sidney Crosby would be heading to Europe.

Dispersal draft? That's not even a paramount issue for both sides to be
discussing right now.

Cheers,
Aquaman

 

[Aquaman]

NHL, NHLPA conclude Friday meetings

Canadian Press
6/3/2005 9:38:10 PM

TORONTO (CP) - Marathon talks will continue next week after the NHL and NHL
Players' Association wrapped up more than 34 hours of talks this week.

The two sides met from 8 a.m. EDT to just before 10 p.m. at a downtown
Toronto hotel on Friday, on the heels of 10-hour sessions Wednesday and
Thursday.

It's not going to happen overnight but the feeling in both camps is that a
deal appears possible in the next month or so although talks could still hit
a snag.

"We continued our discussions on financial and accounting issues, and while
we are making progress, we still have a lot of work to do," said NHL
executive vice-president Bill Daly. "The parties have agreed to continue the
process with a series of meetings next week, at which time we hope to begin
discussing a myriad of other CBA issues."


While progress has been slow but steady, the two sides continue to plug away
at it. Friday's meeting was the 19th session since the season was cancelled
Feb. 16.

"Earlier this evening we concluded three days of small group meetings," said
NHLPA Senior Director Ted Saskin. "Once again a wide range of economic and
systemic concepts were discussed. The parties have agreed to continue
meeting next week."

The NHLPA roster Friday featured executive director Bob Goodenow, Saskin,
outside counsel John McCambridge, associate counsel Ian Pulver, director of
business relations Mike Gartner, Detroit Red Wings veteran player Brendan
Shanahan, and the players' executive committee: president Trevor Linden and
vice-presidents Vincent Damphousse, Bill Guerin, Daniel Alfredsson, Arturs
Irbe, Trent Klatt and Bob Boughner.

Representing the league Friday was commissioner Gary Bettman, Daly, Boston
Bruins owner Jeremy Jacobs, outside counsel Bob Batterman, NHL general
counsel David Zimmerman, lawyer Shep Goldfein, director of hockey operations
Colin Campbell, New Jersey Devils CEO and GM Lou Lamoriello, board of
governors chairman Harley Hotchkiss of the Calgary Flames, Nashville
Predators owner Craig Leipold, league CFO Craig Harnett and Senior VP,
Finance, Joe DeSousa.

Cheers,
Aquaman

 

[rh71]

still waiting for the day the title of this thread changes... in big CAPITAL letters.

 

[Aquaman]

NHL Research and Development camp opens

Canadian Press
6/6/2005 2:30:48 PM

TORONTO (CP) - The offside whistles for the entire three-period scrimmage
could be counted on one hand, and Glen Sather was grinning.

''Could you imagine Wayne (Gretzky) and Mario (Lemieux) playing that kind of
game?'' Sather posed. ''They'd have a field day.''

The New York Rangers boss was among general managers and coaches at an
airport-area arena Monday for the first of three days of NHL rules
experiments. Things got started with a look at the ''open game'' concept put
forth by the Boston Bruins.

Bruins president Harry Sinden contends that offences would be liberated and
neutral zone trapping obliterated by removing the centre red line and the
blue-lines and putting in thin lines a few feet above the faceoff circles at
each end of the ice and allowing passes to go anywhere on the ice, without
creating an offside or icing infraction, once the player with the puck
reaches the pass line in his zone.

''I don't know if I'd want to rush into it but I sure like the idea,'' said
Sather.

The Sinden System has about as much chance of being implemented next season
as the NHL and the NHLPA had of agreeing on a new collective bargaining
agreement before midnight Monday night. But this camp is all about opening
minds and taking a look at whatever bounces out of the brains on board. For
three days, anything goes.

''There's a lot of things that have happened since the '80s,'' said Sather,
who coached the Edmonton Oilers to a record level of offensive output 20
years ago. ''Our game has changed from a free-wheeling game to a very tight
defensive style.

''A lot of that has got to do with the techniques the coaches have
developed. It's a lot easier to defend than create offence. (The Sinden
System) is not a lot different from the style of play (the Oilers) used in
the '80s - free-wheeling, changing lanes, defencemen getting involved. It
goes a step further because you've distorted the size of the rink. It
becomes a lot bigger without the blue-lines. There's so much skating
involved. I think it's exciting. I think it's a great idea.''

It should be tried in the AHL, Sather suggested.

The scrimmage consisted of three 15-minute, stop-time periods and each took
about 21 minutes to complete because whistles were so infrequent. The final
score was 5-2.

The players being used during the three-day camp are free agents who have
graduated from major junior teams and skaters from university teams. They
had never tried the Sinden System so it's not as if it was executed at peak
efficiency.

The goalies wore equipment smaller than used in recent NHL seasons. Leg pads
were 11 inches wide - two inches narrower than pads used in the NHL last
year - and sweaters were close fitting rather than baggy as has become the
vogue.

While the Sinden System probably won't see the light of day, it's lights out
on the issue of smaller equipment for goalies. It's a done deal, although
the NHLPA would have a say in the final decisions.

''We've worked with the players' association closely on reducing the size of
goalie equipment,'' said Colin Campbell, the NHL vice-president in charge of
hockey operations. ''We've got to get moving on this now with the
manufacturers.''

Most NHL teams are represented at the camp, and there is a strong
conservative faction that favours limited changes.

''We should go back to the tag-up rule,'' said Toronto Maple Leafs coach Pat
Quinn. ''And we still need a firmer crackdown on interference away from
where the puck is so we can get some give-and-go back into the game.

''I don't know what else we can do.''

While Sather liked the Sather System, Quinn was skeptical.

''I don't like the idea that you can throw the puck 160 feet down the ice,''
said Quinn. ''It takes away from teamwork rather than building it.

''I don't want to see a ping pong game. Something this drastic might not be
the answer.''

But he's willing to have a look.

''You don't know how it's going to work unless you actually try it,'' he
said. ''To me, we've got a heck of a game right now.

''We can clean up a few things but, to make drastic changes? I don't know. A
lot of us will have to be convinced it'll make our game better and I'm not
sure we're there yet until we watch and analyse more. One thing I know is
there's no hitting out there, which I don't like.''

Quinn is all for thwarting neutral zone trappers - but not at any cost.

''If we're just going to throw the puck down (the ice) and play like
basketball - zone sort of hockey - I'm not interested in that,'' he said.

But, as Campbell reminded, the Sinden System is merely an experiment.

''What we're working on with this experiment is opening up the game,'' he
said. ''The trap has stymied our game.

''What the end result of this (experiment) is, I don't know. At least it's
an attempt to open up the game.''

Quinn joined the chorus supporting smaller goalie equipment. It'd been
growing too big for a long time, he said.

''What happened with our goaltenders was not right,'' said Quinn. ''It was
less about ability and more about equipment and blocking the net.

''You can look down at the game we're watching right now and you can see
(net) space (behind the goalie). That's the way it was in the 1970s and
before that.

''We still want them protected properly because guys shoot the puck harder .
. . but if we want to increase scoring that's going to be a big step
towards it.''

Buffalo coach Lindy Ruff agreed. Anything would be better as it was in the
past, he said.

''Your run-of-the-mill, 170-pound goalie was looking like 240,'' he said.

A second scrimmage made use of nets four inches higher and eight inches
wider than the normal 4x6 nets. The score ended up 5-3. Eric Tobia of
Cloyne, Ont., who played for the OHL's Belleville Bulls this year, was one
of the goalies.

''In the warmup, there was a lot of room for shooters,'' he said. ''When
they had time to look, they were picking a lot of corners.

''But in the game we didn't find it too much of a setback. We adjusted by
stepping out an extra foot to take away the extra inches on both sides of
the net. Movement-wise, I had to work a little harder to push from side to
side but, overall, it's not as bad as I thought it would be.

''The majority of the goals went in more because of the smaller equipment.''

Curtis Darling of Portland, Ore., who plays college hockey at Waterloo, said
in conversations with the forwards afterwards, ''They said that when they
had time to shoot in the warmup they saw more net but in the game they
didn't notice too much of a difference. Those NHL guys can place the puck a
little better. Maybe they can take more advantage of it.''

Quinn doesn't favour larger nets.

''I don't care so much about making bigger nets,'' he said. ''My thoughts
were always on making the equipment smaller, and not the nets larger.''

In the morning scrimmage, defencemen could move the puck to the pass line
and fire it off the far glass as teammates scurried after the loose puck.
Skaters were out of position and wandering all over the ice. It was like
shinny on a pond.

Phil Knapp, a York University forward from Athens, Ont., was one of the
skaters taking part.

''There's so much room out there that there's not much checking going on,''
he said. ''It's really open.

''When the puck leaves your end, you can just stand there in front of the
other team's net.''

At first, defencemen were standing up at their blue-line as if the blue-line
setup was normal. But forwards began circling in behind them to get
breakaway passes so the defencemen began staking territory further back
towards their goalie's crease.

The smaller goaltending equipment wasn't too big a handicap for goalie Brad
Topping of London, Ont., who played for the OHL Windsor Spitfires.

''You have to play like you did in your minor-hockey days when you were
smaller,'' he said. ''You have to come out and challenge the shooters and
play your angles well and use your reflexes.''

GMs huddled in small groups assessing what they were watching.

''The purpose is to get hockey minds in a room together and decide what we
like and dislike about these different things and balance all those things
to come up with a final product we hope will be more entertaining, with
more scoring chances, for the fans,'' said Lowe.

''We're trying to come up with something new,'' said Montreal GM Bob Gainey.
''Unless we try these things, we won't know.''

Like his peers, he's all for smaller goalie equipment.

''For me, it's good to look down the ice and see the goalie standing in
front of the net at the other end in different equipment and in a different
size net,'' said Gainey. ''It gives me an impression I wouldn't otherwise
get.''

Cheers,
Aquaman

 

[Aquaman]

NHL CBA talks set to resume Tuesday

TSN.ca Staff/CP
6/6/2005 4:38:03 PM

TORONTO (CP) - Labour talks will resume Tuesday afternoon in New York as the
NHL and NHL Players' Association hope to carry over the momentum from last
week when 34 hours of talks were described as progressive from both sides.

They are expected to break into small discussion groups Tuesday to Thursday
to tackle various issues.

There are several issues to iron out, but sources in both camps believe
there's a chance a deal could be done before July.

Tuesday's meeting will be the 20th meeting between the two sides since the
season was cancelled Feb. 16.

Cheers,
Aquaman

 

[Aquaman]

Balloon nets push creative envelope

Canadian Press
6/7/2005 6:55:39 PM

TORONTO (CP) - Of all the oversized nets being tested during the NHL's
research camp, the ones with the arced posts and crossbar devised by the
Buffalo Sabres are the wackiest.

With the aim of opening up how the sport is played to create more offence,
the league has been testing nets that are wider and higher, and some are
narrower at the base to free up ice space for skaters, and then there's the
Sabres' balloon nets. They take the cake in creativity.

Club president Larry Quinn had the idea, and he commissioned a steel shop
three blocks from HSBC Arena to make him two. That was for starters. The NHL
put them on display in scrimmages on the second day of the three-day camp
Tuesday.

The balloon nets are anchored in the usual posts in the ice, meaning they're
six feet side at the base. But the arcs add 13 per cent in netting space.

Sabres GM Darcy Regier explained the concept as the overage, free-agent
juniors enlisted for the camp rested between periods. There were 5.14 goals
a game during the last NHL season, he said. He'd like to see at least seven
goals a game.

"Defenders collapse back to the crease to protect the net," he explained.
"When an opposition defenceman takes a shot, the probability of it going in
is 4½ per cent.

"These bigger nets create a bigger danger area. The probability of an
outside shot going in becomes greater. Now the five guys who have to defend
the net have to respect the outside shot and have to move out. The extent to
which they move out creates openings on the inside."

One thing: "You have to put the puck in the air to take advantage of any of
the extra space," said Regier.

Simple, right?

"Simplicity matters," said Regier. "Kids have to love playing the game
because when they're men they'll want to continue on to the NHL.

"The other side of it is fans have to love watching the game. The rest of
us, we're here to make that happen."

The balloon nets are a much simpler solution to spur scoring than removing
or altering lines on the ice, said Regier. But it's highly unlikely they'll
ever be adopted by the NHL, although Evan Kotsopoulos, a left-winger who
played last season for the OHL's Kingston Frontenacs last season, liked
them. He skated in the scrimmage.

"There was a lot more room to shoot at," Kotsopoulos said after skating in
the scrimmage. "You could totally see the difference but the goalies
adjusted and got better as the game went on."

Regier is hopeful good things will result from the camp to make the NHL
brand more entertaining.

"We have to create an environment in which whatever change that comes in it
can't be easily coached out," he said.

The scrimmage also was a test of Scotty Bowman's suggestion to change
offsides calls. It's similar to the one floated by Boston president Harry
Sinden, who'd replace the centre red line and the blue-lines with thin lines
just beyond the top of the faceoff circles. A puck carrier reaching the pass
line in his zone could move the puck to any location on the ice without
offsides or icing infractions. Bowman's suggestion is to allow passing from
the pass line but only as far as the opponent's blue-line.

Both the Sinden and Bowman schemes are aimed at tripping the neutral zone
trap.

"People have always clambered for bigger ice, which isn't going to happen,
and I'm not sure it is the right answer anyway," explained Bowman. "What
this system would do is, when you get to that (pass) line, you'd still have
85 feet to the far blue-line and that creates more of a challenge for the
defending team.

"The defending team would have two choices: a strong forecheck to make it
tough to get to the line or they're going to back up completely. If they do
back up to their own blue-line, you can gain speed through the neural zone
on the attack.

"Defencemen could look up and hit that long pass to the far blue-line. I
think it has a lot of possibilities to create scoring chances, and you need
scoring chances to get goals."

Kotsopoulos liked the Bowman plan.

"It opens the ice up," he said. "I like the concept.

"It's been one of the better rules I've noticed so far this week."

Bowman, the winningest coach in NHL history, is retired and lives in
Florida. He is under contract to the Detroit Red Wings as a consultant till
the end of June and wants to re-sign.

He'd like to see his scheme tried in the next pre-season.

He also suggests the next crackdown on obstruction included revised
refereeing assignments.

"We could maybe take one of the two refs and have him be an interference or
obstruction referee between the pass lines," he said. "It would be 110 feet.

"That would be his territory. He'd only be looking for interference - you
couldn't lay a stick on a player who doesn't have the puck."

Teen star Sydney Crosby gets through the neutral zone with a lot of speed,
he added.

"If you're going to allow people to pull him down, you're going to nullify
his speed and that's what we don't want to do. We have some great players in
the NHL, skaters like Paul Kariya, but lately they haven't been able to get
that speed because of the trapping. The great skaters should be allowed to
go."

Cheers,
Aquaman

 

[Aquaman]

NHL: Shootouts, smaller equipment coming

Canadian Press
6/7/2005 2:32:50 PM

TORONTO (CP) - Ties could be broken by shootouts after regular-season games
whenever the NHL restarts.

It's not official yet, but club executives agree they need a more
entertaining product, says New York Islanders GM Mike Milbury.

''If they don't have a shootout, I'll be shocked,'' says Milbury. ''That's
an easy one.

''The fans want it, and it's the least we can do after spitting at them for
the last 12 months.''

Fans in the AHL and elsewhere have grown to enjoy shootouts, says Steve
Tambellini, director of player personnel for the Vancouver Canucks. The
trend is obvious.

''It sounds like most people want a definite outcome - a win or loss - one
way or the other,'' Tambellini said during a break on the second day of the
three-day NHL research camp Tuesday.

Shootouts would be used to decide a game if it remained tied after a
five-minute overtime period.

After watching free-agent junior and college players test on Monday a
radical plan by Boston Bruins president Harry Sinden that allows passing
from the top of the faceoff circles to anywhere on the ice, and the use of
nets four inches (6.5 centimetres) taller and eight inches (20 centimetres)
wider than normal, club representatives took in scrimmages Tuesday to test
zero tolerance on obstruction fouls and weird-looking nets with arced posts.

The most likely changes in NHL play for the next season are shootouts,
smaller goalie equipment and tag-up offsides. Some of the radical stuff
being tested is too over the top for many GMs.

''We have, traditionally, been very conservative as a group,'' said Milbury.
''There isn't any doubt about that.

''We've tried to be respectful of the game's history and heritage but the
coaches haven't. They've coached the hell out of it. They've coached
defensive hockey and worked the trap and angles and crowding in front of the
net, and goalies have cheated like a son of a bitch over the last number of
years.

''We've got to respond. Other sports respond.''

To Milbury, the essence of an NHL game is the players' passion, skating,
speed and aggressiveness.

''It's not the rules,'' he said. ''The rules have changed all the time, and
I don't think we should be afraid of that.''

The no-tolerance obstruction scrimmage saw a parade of players to the
penalty box for interfering even in the slightest ways with opponents who
didn't have the puck. There were constant whistles and, it seemed, power
plays most of the game.

It's only a start though. Players will adapt, said Milbury, adding that the
next crackdown on obstruction during NHL games will succeed.

''There's more resolve on the issue this time around,'' he said. ''You could
see in this scrimmage they were picking it up little by little.

''Over time, players will get it and stick with it.''

The camp is all about opening minds to changes that will make the NHL brand
more fan-friendly.

''My definition of that is more entertainment through scoring chances,''
said Milbury. ''We want to change things to make it more fun.

''That's all we want to do. We want to open things up. I love the game. It's
a great game. But it's been coached and goaltended to a point where it needs
to be adjusted.''

There's no time to hesitate.

''We've been categorized publicly as being nothing short of being
neanderthals over the years when it comes to change,'' said Milbury.
''Hockey is revered in Canada but we're in trouble south of the border.''

He suggests a committee that has authority to make decisions on rules
changes. As things are now, the NHL holds meetings with representatives from
the 30 clubs and things get bogged down. Often, nothing gets done. A
committee of five GMs, a coach and a player would be more effective, Milbury
said.

''One with teeth,'' he said. ''Not one that comes back and says, 'Gee, we
want you to consider this.' I want it to come back and say, `Here it is.
We're going with bigger nets, we're going without red lines.' Whatever.''

Tambellini is not as adamant as Milbury in seeking changes, but he loves
what he's been seeing.

''The intent of the whole few days is to see things that everyone has been
talking about for some time, and I think it's been great,'' said Tambellini.
''It gives you a chance to actually see the changes we're talking about.

''We're trying to do things that show how great our players are. It's the
responsibility of everyone in the game to explore ways to see how great the
game can be.''

Cheers,
Aquaman

 

[Aquaman]

McKenzie: Reading between the lines

TSN.ca Staff
6/6/2005 7:25:39 PM

During the NHL lockout, the last place you would normally expect to find any
real news would be in the post-meeting news releases from either the NHL or
NHL Players Association, which for months said nothing more than "no
progress" or "philosophical differences."

No matter what it said, it wasn't good - and it wasn't newsy in the least.

On Friday, after the last meeting, that may have changed.

Here's NHL vice president Bill Daly's quote from that release.

"We continued our discussions on financial and accounting issues, and while
we are making progress, we still have a lot of work to do. The parties have
agreed to continue the process with a series of meetings next week, at which
time we hope to begin discussing a myriad of other CBA issues."


At first glance, it looks like standard fare - lots of work to be done,
meetings next week - but it's the final line where he says, "at which time
we hope to begin discussing a myriad of other CBA issues" that could
actually signal a somewhat momentous breakthrough.

The key phrase here is "other CBA issues," with "other" meaning, not
financial or accounting.

Which appears to imply that the really heavy lifting on nailing down the
nuts and bolts of a new economic system, from defining what is
hockey-related revenue to deciding what percentage the players will get to
what is the salary floor, the salary ceiling, the payroll range and all
other matters relating to salary cap-ology have been agreed to.

Now, no one is going to come out and say that. The state of negotiations is
far too fragile for that kind of bold pronouncement, but all the signs point
to that big nut having been cracked, with an eye towards now moving on to
other system issues such as qualifying offers, salary arbitration, entry
level restrictions and free agency. And these issues, while not necessarily
slam dunks, are not expected to be nearly so contentions because it appears
the NHLPA's December 9th proposal, with some fine tuning, will be used as
the framework.

We are obliged to say for the millionth time that no deal is done until it's
all done, and that's it too early to start celebrating anything, but if
indeed there's agreement on the macro-economic system, and it certainly
looks that way, well, that is a very good thing indeed.

Cheers,
Aquaman

 

[Aquaman]

NHL CBA talks resume in New York

TSN.ca Staff/CP
6/6/2005 4:38:03 PM

TORONTO (CP) - Labour talks will resume Tuesday afternoon in New York as the
NHL and NHL Players' Association hope to carry over the momentum from last
week when 34 hours of talks were described as progressive from both sides.

They are expected to break into small discussion groups Tuesday to Thursday
to tackle various issues.

There are several issues to iron out, but sources in both camps believe
there's a chance a deal could be done before July. Still, both sides also
concede there are potential pitfalls that could prevent an agreement from
being reached.

Tuesday's meeting will be the 20th meeting between the two sides since the
season was cancelled Feb. 16.

Cheers,
Aquaman

 

[Aquaman]

Last NHL game was a year ago today

Canadian Press
6/7/2005 9:35:10 AM

Vincent Lecavalier got the pass away as he was falling in a corner while
being chased by two Calgary players, and Ruslan Fedotenko's quick shot high
on goalie Miikka Kiprusoff's glove side found the back of the net at 14:38
of the second period.

Nearly 20,000 hockey fans in the St. Pete Times Forum jumped for joy, and
out in Alberta the jaws on those watching on TV dropped in dismay.

It would be the winning goal in Tampa Bay's 2-1 victory over the visiting
Flames in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup final last June 7.

"This is the ultimate dream for a player and I'm really proud of the team
I'm playing on," Lightning star Martin St. Louis said at the time. "We're
going to walk together forever.


"We are winners. Nothing can describe how it feels to be the last team
standing."

Because of the lockout, there hasn't been another NHL game, the entire
2004-2005 season blown to bits by turtle-paced collective bargaining.

As a result, the Tampa Bay players have had the longest reign by a one-time
winner since the league took control of the trophy in 1926.

"It doesn't seem that long ago," playoff MVP Brad Richards said last week
from Prince Edward Island in acknowledging the one-year anniversary. "It's
gone by so quick.

"It would have gone by a lot faster if we'd been playing I suppose. So it's
a lingering memory - just winning it, being with my teammates and all my
friends and family celebrating with me." Players sporadically show up at
the team's Florida offices to pick up a Stanley Cup ring.

The team received permission from the NHL to gather together players who
weren't in other leagues last Nov. 16 and rings were presented by team
president Ron Campbell, general manager Jay Feaster and head coach John
Tortorella during a simple ceremony in a conference room.

An image of the Stanley Cup is on the front of the rings and a lightning
bolt logo is across the trophy's base. There are enough diamonds to sink a
ship.

Richards, Fedotenko, Dave Andreychuk, Tim Taylor, Jassen Cullimore, Ben
Clymer, Cory Stillman, Andre Roy, John Grahame, Nolan Pratt, Chris Dingman,
Darryl Sydor, Brad Lukowich, Cory Sarich and Dan Boyle were at the autumn
gathering. After getting their rings, they lunched at a hotel across the
street.

Feaster presented Eric Perrin and Darren Rumble with their rings when he
attended AHL games in which they were playing. Freddie Modin and Martin
Cibak have wandered in during the last three weeks to slip a ring on a
finger in Feaster's office.

Nikolai Khabibulin, Dimitry Afanasenkov and Pavel Kubina had yet to pick up
a ring as the first anniversary approached.

Whenever the next NHL season begins, a ceremony on home ice will take place.

"When we start up we're going to raise the banner and we'll be defending
champions," said Richards. "That's something we're looking forward to doing.
We've got that to look forward to yet."

The team has organized a fan festival at the Forum to mark the anniversary
Tuesday.

All eight trophies won by the team and its players, including the Stanley
Cup, will be on display, and a replay of Game 7 will be on the Forum's video
screens.

There'll be interviews with Feaster and Tortorella, locker-room tours, a
memorabilia auction, live entertainment and discounted food and drink. The
first 5,000 fans will receive a free copy of the DVD chronicling the
Lightning's championship run, and there'll be a commemorative book for
season-ticket holders.

"As we approached the anniversary of our Stanley Cup championship, we wanted
to give our fans a chance to relive the glory of that amazing time,"
Campbell said in a news release. "With all we have planned for this event .
. . fans will be able to recapture the emotion we all felt during the Cup
run."

Cheers,
Aquaman

 

[Aquaman]

Incentive added in Bain's bid for NHL

TSN.ca Staff
6/8/2005 10:42:34 AM

Bain Capital and investment firm Game Plan International have added another
'perk' for National Hockey League owners to sell their teams.

Reuters Business news reports that the private equity firm - which has been
aggressive in its bid to buy the league over the last few months - will
allow team owners the chance to maintain a stake in the league if they sell
their respective franchises.

The provision is an added incentive for an offer by Bain and Game Plan to
buy the 30-team league for $4.3 billion US.

A spokesman for the NHL declined to comment on the deal with Reuters on
Wednesday.

The news could not have come at a more crucial time for the NHL, as the
league and NHL Players' Association are meeting in New York in an effort to
table a new collective bargaining agreement.

Bain Capital Partners and Game Plan International - both based in Boston -
made the initial $3.5 billion US offer to the league in March. In a
30-minute presentation to NHL owners and commissioner Gary Bettman, the
companies outlined a plan for the league to operate under single ownership.

The two companies reportedly had a formula to compensate each team owner
based on revenue, assets and market size. Under the original $3.5 billion US
umbrella, each franchise would have been worth an average of $117 million
US.

Cheers,
Aquaman

 

[Aquaman]

Report: NHL, NHLPA agree on cap formula

TSN.ca Staff with CP, Globe and Mail files
6/8/2005 2:06:13 PM

The Globe and Mail reports that the NHL and NHL Players' Association have
agreed on a formula for a salary-cap system based on team-by-team revenue.

The salary-cap issue was seen as the biggest hurdle in talks for a new
collective bargaining agreement.

According to the Globe's league and player sources, a team-by-team salary
floor and cap will based on a percentage of each NHL team's revenue. The
paper adds that in the first year - based on revenue projections by both
sides - the salary cap will range from $34 million to $36 million US, with
the floor from $22 million to $24 million US.

The Globe also reports that the formula calls for a dollar-for-dollar luxury
tax to kick in at the halfway mark between the floor and the cap. If the
floor of the lowest team is $22 million US and the cap on the highest team
is $36 million US, then the 'tax level' will be $29 million US.

The formula would allow wealthier teams to spend a bit more money, but would
also bridge the large gaps in spending between higher payroll teams and
lower payroll teams.

Small group labour talks between both sides ended late Tuesday night and
resume today in New York with a larger group meeting.

Both sides have carried over the momentum from last week when 34 hours of
talks were described as 'progressive' from both sides.

There are several issues to iron out, but sources in both camps believe
there's a chance a deal could be done before July. Still, both sides also
concede there are potential pitfalls that could prevent an agreement from
being reached.

Today's session is the 21st meeting between the two sides since the season
was cancelled Feb. 16.

NHL vice-president and chief legal officer Bill Daly and NHLPA senior
director Ted Saskin declined to confirm or deny anything to The Globe and
Mail.

Cheers,
Aquaman

 

[Aquaman]

NHL group to recommend changes

Canadian Press
6/8/2005 1:31:45 PM

TORONTO (CP) - Now we'll see what becomes of it all.

The three-day NHL research camp was full of interesting experiments on how
to spark more offence, and now a select group of club executives will mull
over the proceedings and recommend changes.

Use of shootouts during the regular season, reintroduction of tag-up
offsides, stiffer obstruction rules and smaller equipment for goaltenders
have the strongest chance of being implemented.

Some of the wilder tests, including bigger nets and pass lines allowing puck
movement all over the ice without offsides calls, probably will be deemed in
the end to be too radical to apply. But minds were opened to new
possibilities, which was what the camp was intended for.


''The process now will be to evaluate all of this,'' said Bryan Murray, head
coach of the Ottawa Senators. ''There's a variety of things that could be
considered to put into our game to add a little spice and to get a new look
when the (collective bargaining agreement) is resolved.''

It was the first comprehensive on-ice attempt towards altering the NHL
product, and for that director of operations Colin Campbell and right-hand
man Mike Murphy have to be congratulated.

''There's some things you can discard, and there's some things you can say,
`Hey, let's take another look at this,''' said Murphy.

The operations department brought in a main group that included general
managers Bob Gainey of the Montreal Canadiens, Kevin Lowe of the Edmonton
Oilers and Darcy Regier of the Buffalo Sabres to closely watch the
experiments. All other teams were invited last month and about one-half of
the league's GMs were in attendance. Others sent coaches or staff members.
As many as nine U.S. teams were not represented.

''I don't think it was detrimental,'' Murphy said of the absentee rate. ''A
lot of general managers are very busy at this time.

''This is the time of year you prepare your scouts for the draft and prepare
your draft list and I'm sure a lot of them are going through that process.
But a lot of them had people here. I can't believe what a good turnout we
had.''

The main group will evaluate what was viewed during scrimmages put on by
undrafted juniors and college players at an airport-district rink.

''We'll probably have a round table at some point to determine what
everybody felt and sort out all the ideas,'' said Murphy.

A report would be drafted. Many hope a new competitions committee with teeth
will be formed to then study it and recommend changes to the board of
governors.

Murray doesn't advocate radical change but isn't opposed to tweaking things.

''I don't know that a lot is necessary to fix our game,'' he said. ''We hear
about the (neutral zone) trap and we hear about not enough goal scoring but
we've got a terrific game.

A session like this, though, looking at things that at one time or another
we've all talked about, I believe will result in something more being
added.''

While he's not a fan of the shootout, Murray concedes it's time might have
arrived for the NHL.

''I personally have never seen anything wrong with a tied hockey game but it
seems that there is a real push to settle games and that's obviously one way
of creating excitement at the end of a game,'' said Murray. ''There is an
element of excitement there for the fans. I think that will be very
seriously considered.''

The smaller goalie equipment used this week - egads, one could actually see
netting behind the trimmed-down pads and sweaters - is subject to debate
with the NHL Players' Association. But Campbell is sure he'll get it
through.

''The smaller goaltender equipment has really got a chance to happen,'' said
Boston Bruins president Harry Sinden.

It's important that the three days doen't result in a pile of papers
gathering dust on a shelf, said Regier, putting in his two cents for a
strong competitions committee.

''I think it's critical that the rigth process is in place,'' said Regier.
''It has to be a collaborative effort including players, coaches, general
managers, and people like Harry Sinden who have the historical perspective.

''Colie's challenge is going to be to put the right process in place to
achieve the things we need to do to be effective custodians of the game.''

Cheers,
Aquaman