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

[Aquaman]

Turin officials encouraged by CBA talks

Canadian Press
6/9/2005 1:00:01 PM

TURIN, Italy (AP-CP) _ Turin Olympic officials are encouraged by the recent
optimism surrounding NHL labour talks.

"I just discussed this with (International Ice Hockey Federation president)
Rene Fasel and he was very optimistic," said Jean-Claude Killy, the former
Olympic ski champion who heads the IOC commission for the Turin Games.

Olympic officials hope an end to the lockout could clear the way for NHL
players to compete in Turin.

The NHL and the NHL Players' Association have reportedly reached an
agreement on a salary-cap structure, which had been the biggest hurdle in
the negotiations. While a number of issues still need to be ironed out,
including Olympic participation, there is optimism an agreement could be
reached by early July.

The union has made it a demand in previous proposals that Olympic
participation be guaranteed, but the NHL doesn't really want to take a break
in the schedule next season after losing an entire year to the lockout.

"If there is no space provided in the calendar, I think some players will
continue playing in Europe just to play in the Olympics," said Gilbert
Felli, the IOC's Olympic Games executive director.

Turin organizing committee chairman Valentino Castellani pointed out that
hockey is already the sport with the most tickets sold.

"It would be extraordinary to have the best players in the world, although
all the tickets are already sold for the final," Castellani said.

Killy's group was concluding a visit to Turin on Thursday that featured a
tour of each venue over three days.

Cheers,
Aquaman

 

[Aquaman]

McKenzie: Latest cap story is confusing

TSN.ca Staff
6/8/2005

Wednesday's story on the Globe and Mail's website is both interesting and
confusing.

Interesting because it re-affirms the rumours that the NHL and NHL Players'
Association have basically agreed on a macro-economic linked salary cap
payroll system and also interesting because it's chock full of specific
numbers, though these numbers are not too much different than what were
reported in the New York Post 10 days ago.

But it's an extremely confusing story for the following reason:

The story says each team will have its own individual salary floor and
ceiling and that this team-by-team payroll range will be determined as a
percentage of each club's individual revenue, not as a percentage of
league-wide revenue.

If this were indeed the case, it would be a huge victory for the NHL
Players' Association, which would love nothing more than to allow larger
revenue teams like the Toronto Maple Leafs and New York Rangers to spend
much more than small revenue teams like the Nashville Predators and Phoenix
Coyotes.

Think about it. Say for argument's sake, one NHL team has revenues of $100
million and another team has revenues of $50 million. If, as an example, the
teams are permitted to spend 54 per cent of revenues on salaries, one team
would have a cap of $54 million, while the other team would have a cap of
$27 million. That is a $27 million spread between the two teams' caps and
you can rest assured it will be a frosty Friday in hell before NHL teams
sign off on that type of discrepancy.

And, in fact, the Globe and Mail alludes to the incongruity of that type of
formula, but passes it off as saying it will be a "complicated" system.

Oh, it will be complicated alright, but using the Globe and Mail's own
numbers, a $22 to $24 million floor and a $34 to $36 million ceiling, those
numbers aren't so very different from what the two sides have been batting
back and forth for the last month or two on a deal that is linked at 54 per
cent of league-wide revenues.

To put it bluntly, if the NHL teams with the highest revenues can't spend
any more than $36 million on player costs, you can be sure the new economic
system is not based on individual club revenues, which is the premise of the
Globe and Mail story.

Now, if all the Globe is actually saying is that big revenue teams will get
to spend at the top of end of the $36 million range and small revenue teams
will have to spend near the bottom end, well, that's a different story
because one suspects those salary range numbers were determined by a
percentage of league-wide revenues, such as the 54 per cent figure the
league has wanted for a long time.

And, make no mistake, there's a big difference between the two premises. A
very big difference.

Cheers,
Aquaman

 

[Aquaman]

Report: Sides agree on NHL 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.

According to the Globe's league and player sources, a salary floor and cap
will be 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 salary-cap issue was seen as the biggest hurdle in talks for a new
collective bargaining agreement.

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.

Union spokesperson Jonathan Weatherdon, however, said the Globe's report was
premature.

"The NHLPA and NHL discussions this week continue to cover a range of issues
such as controls on team salaries, revenue sharing, Olympic participation,
the amateur player draft and player retention rights," Weatherdon said.
"While the parties continue to have discussions to reach a common ground no
agreements have been reached."

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 told the
Globe 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.

Cheers,
Aquaman

 

[bunker]

Holy update batman! Thanks Aquaman.

 

[Aquaman]

Originally posted by: bunker
Holy update batman! Thanks Aquaman.

I gotta catch up since my bannination

Cheers,
Aquaman

 

[Aquaman]

No confirmation on NHL cap agreement

Canadian Press
6/9/2005 6:28:44 PM

TORONTO (CP) - Reports that the NHL and the NHL Players' Association have
cleared a major hurdle in their labour negotiations have drawn mixed
reaction.

The Globe and Mail reported on its website Wednesday that the two sides 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 stumbling block in the labour
negotiations.

The Toronto Sun, quoting an unidentified source, reported Thursday that the
salary cap was still not solved although progress had been made.

The Vancouver Province said the general salary cap formula had been accepted
for some time now.

It appears that the numbers have essentially been resolved. Now it is a
matter of how the system will work within the framework.

Other issues still on the table include free agency, salary arbitration,
drug testing, Olympic participation, proposed rule changes, etc.

Neither side has said much about the reported progress.

The NHL has stayed mum while the players' association issued a brief
statement Wednesday, saying discussions continue this week.

The latest batch of talks were slated for Tuesday through Thursday.

Cheers,
Aquaman

 

[Aquaman]

Turin officials encouraged by CBA talks

Canadian Press
6/9/2005 1:00:01 PM

TURIN, Italy (AP-CP) _ Turin Olympic officials are encouraged by the recent
optimism surrounding NHL labour talks.

"I just discussed this with (International Ice Hockey Federation president)
Rene Fasel and he was very optimistic," said Jean-Claude Killy, the former
Olympic ski champion who heads the IOC commission for the Turin Games.

Olympic officials hope an end to the lockout could clear the way for NHL
players to compete in Turin.

The NHL and the NHL Players' Association have reportedly reached an
agreement on a salary-cap structure, which had been the biggest hurdle in
the negotiations. While a number of issues still need to be ironed out,
including Olympic participation, there is optimism an agreement could be
reached by early July.

The union has made it a demand in previous proposals that Olympic
participation be guaranteed, but the NHL doesn't really want to take a break
in the schedule next season after losing an entire year to the lockout.

"If there is no space provided in the calendar, I think some players will
continue playing in Europe just to play in the Olympics," said Gilbert
Felli, the IOC's Olympic Games executive director.

Turin organizing committee chairman Valentino Castellani pointed out that
hockey is already the sport with the most tickets sold.

"It would be extraordinary to have the best players in the world, although
all the tickets are already sold for the final," Castellani said.

Killy's group was concluding a visit to Turin on Thursday that featured a
tour of each venue over three days.

Cheers,
Aquaman

 

[Aquaman]

NHL, NHLPA to meet again on Monday

Canadian Press
6/10/2005 3:45:20 PM

NEW YORK (CP) - The NHL and the NHL Players' Association wrapped up four
days of meetings Friday but there was still no official word on reports the
two sides had reached an agreement on a salary cap structure.

"We spent the last four days in small group meetings continuing to review
and negotiate various systemic and economic issues," NHLPA senior director
Ted Saskin said in a brief statement Friday afternoon. "The two sides will
resume small group discussions on Monday in Toronto."

"There was healthy dialogue, and progress continued to be made on many
operational issues relating to a new collective bargaining agreement, said
NHL Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer Bill Daly. "We will
resume meeting early next week."

The Globe and Mail reported Wednesday that a formula for a salary-cap system
based on team-by-team revenue had been agreed upon.

But the Toronto Sun, quoting an unidentified general manager, said Friday
that NHL commissioner Gary Bettman had denied the existence of such a cap.

"I asked him quite clearly is (the cap), in fact, true?" said the general
manager. "He said: `No.' I asked `Is there any kind of team-by-team cap?'
Again, he said `No."'

It's believed the two sides are close, however.

The salary-cap issue was seen as the biggest stumbling block in the labour
negotiations.

Other issues still on the table include free agency, salary arbitration,
drug testing, Olympic participation, proposed rule changes, etc.

Cheers,
Aquaman

 

[Aquaman]

NHL, NHLPA continue talks in Toronto

TSN.ca Staff
6/13/2005 10:02:17 AM

The NHL and the NHL Players' Association begin another round of CBA talks
this week with smaller group meetings in Toronto today.

Both sides held four days of meetings last week amid reports that an
agreement was reached on a salary cap structure.

"We spent the last four days in small group meetings continuing to review
and negotiate various systemic and economic issues," NHLPA senior director
Ted Saskin said in a brief statement last Friday.

"There was healthy dialogue, and progress continued to be made on many
operational issues relating to a new collective bargaining agreement, added
NHL Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer Bill Daly in the NHL's
statement.

While it's believed the two sides are close on the salary cap, other issues
include free agency, salary arbitration, drug testing, Olympic participation
and proposed rule changes.

Cheers,
Aquaman

 

[Aquaman]

NHL, NHLPA to resume talks Thursday

Canadian Press
6/14/2005 4:21:08 PM

TORONTO (CP) - The NHL and NHL Players' Association wrapped up 12 hours of
talks and will resume negotiations later this week.

The two sides met in small groups from noon EDT to 7:30 p.m. EDT Monday and
from 9 a.m. EDT to 1:30 p.m. EDT Tuesday in Toronto.

They've set aside Wednesday for internal discussion before resuming the
process either Thursday or Friday.

The economic framework is largely in place, based on a salary cap, but more
work remains to be done. A deal could be struck within the next two to three
weeks.

Cheers,
Aquaman

 

[Aquaman]

NHLPA union application in B.C. put off

Canadian Press
6/15/2005 2:13:27 PM

VANCOUVER (CP) - A B.C. Labour Relations Board hearing into whether the
National Hockey League Players' Association can be certified as a union in
B.C. will not go ahead this weekend.

"We have agreed to the league's request to adjourn the proceedings," Ian
Pulver, NHLPA associate counsel, said in an e-mail Wednesday.

The hearing was scheduled to run four days beginning Saturday. Bill Daly,
the NHL's executive vice-president and chief legal officer, was expected to
testify.

The labour board hearings would have come at a time when the National Hockey
League and the Players' Association are in the middle of sensitive and
progressive talks aimed at agreeing on a new collective bargaining
agreement. It was feared any break from those talks would kill momentum.

The two sides are scheduled to resume talks Thursday after meeting Monday
and Tuesday.

The NHL locked out its players Sept. 15.

If the NHLPA was recognized as a union in B.C., it would prevent the
Vancouver Canucks from using replacement players should the lockout continue
into next season.

Neither Quebec nor B.C. allows the use of replacement works during strikes
or lockouts, but that's only when the workers being replaced belong to
certified unions.

In May, the B.C. Labour Relations Board rejected arguments by a lawyer
representing the NHL that allowing the hearing to proceed would signal a
disregard for U.S. labour law.

The board also dismissed the idea that allowing the application hearing
would hinder the ability of the NHLPA and the NHL to reach an labour
agreement.

Cheers,
Aquaman

 

[Aquaman]

Smaller goalie equipment ordered

Canadian Press
6/15/2005 3:10:47 PM

MONTREAL (CP) - Producing the slightly smaller goalie equipment that will be
in use when the NHL restarts will keep The Hockey Company's two Quebec
plants busy through the summer.

Leg pads will be 11 inches wide instead of 12 as was the case during the
2003-2004 season, and gloves and upper-body pads also will be altered to fit
the league's desire for more goals. Blockers will be one inch shorter.

"We've been told by the NHL that these rules will apply at the beginning of
the next season," J. C. Bergeron of The Hockey Co. said Wednesday. "For us
to make the equipment, and we have a lot of players in the NHL, AHL and
ECHL, it's going to be a time issue.

"We've told the NHL we'll do everything we can do to be in time. We've had
meetings with our people and it's a big, big challenge. The PA (NHL Players'
Association) is telling the players they have to be patient."

Also to be changed are hockey pants goalies will wear. The league is asking
for slimmer fits so players all have to be remeasured.

Most of the equipment for the nearly 100 goalies the company supplies has to
be custom made so meticulous manufacturing is required by the 60 workers
involved. Retooling machines to turn out the new sizes is a major cost. The
company produces CCM, Koho and Reebok brands.

Among the 25 goalies the company supplies are Martin Brodeur, Ed Belfour,
Roberto Luongo, J.S. Giguere and Marty Turco.

Cheers,
Aquaman

 

[SSP]

Originally posted by: Aquaman
Smaller goalie equipment ordered

Canadian Press
6/15/2005 3:10:47 PM

MONTREAL (CP) - Producing the slightly smaller goalie equipment that will be
in use when the NHL restarts will keep The Hockey Company's two Quebec
plants busy through the summer.

Leg pads will be 11 inches wide instead of 12 as was the case during the
2003-2004 season, and gloves and upper-body pads also will be altered to fit
the league's desire for more goals. Blockers will be one inch shorter.

"We've been told by the NHL that these rules will apply at the beginning of
the next season," J. C. Bergeron of The Hockey Co. said Wednesday. "For us
to make the equipment, and we have a lot of players in the NHL, AHL and
ECHL, it's going to be a time issue.

"We've told the NHL we'll do everything we can do to be in time. We've had
meetings with our people and it's a big, big challenge. The PA (NHL Players'
Association) is telling the players they have to be patient."

Also to be changed are hockey pants goalies will wear. The league is asking
for slimmer fits so players all have to be remeasured.

Most of the equipment for the nearly 100 goalies the company supplies has to
be custom made so meticulous manufacturing is required by the 60 workers
involved. Retooling machines to turn out the new sizes is a major cost. The
company produces CCM, Koho and Reebok brands.

Among the 25 goalies the company supplies are Martin Brodeur, Ed Belfour,
Roberto Luongo, J.S. Giguere and Marty Turco.

Cheers,
Aquaman

<cartman>Hooo-raay!</cartman>

 

[Aquaman]

McKenzie: Latest cap story is confusing

TSN.ca Staff
6/8/2005

Wednesday's story on the Globe and Mail's website is both interesting and
confusing.

Interesting because it re-affirms the rumours that the NHL and NHL Players'
Association have basically agreed on a macro-economic linked salary cap
payroll system and also interesting because it's chock full of specific
numbers, though these numbers are not too much different than what were
reported in the New York Post 10 days ago.

But it's an extremely confusing story for the following reason:

The story says each team will have its own individual salary floor and
ceiling and that this team-by-team payroll range will be determined as a
percentage of each club's individual revenue, not as a percentage of
league-wide revenue.

If this were indeed the case, it would be a huge victory for the NHL
Players' Association, which would love nothing more than to allow larger
revenue teams like the Toronto Maple Leafs and New York Rangers to spend
much more than small revenue teams like the Nashville Predators and Phoenix
Coyotes.

Think about it. Say for argument's sake, one NHL team has revenues of $100
million and another team has revenues of $50 million. If, as an example, the
teams are permitted to spend 54 per cent of revenues on salaries, one team
would have a cap of $54 million, while the other team would have a cap of
$27 million. That is a $27 million spread between the two teams' caps and
you can rest assured it will be a frosty Friday in hell before NHL teams
sign off on that type of discrepancy.

And, in fact, the Globe and Mail alludes to the incongruity of that type of
formula, but passes it off as saying it will be a "complicated" system.

Oh, it will be complicated alright, but using the Globe and Mail's own
numbers, a $22 to $24 million floor and a $34 to $36 million ceiling, those
numbers aren't so very different from what the two sides have been batting
back and forth for the last month or two on a deal that is linked at 54 per
cent of league-wide revenues.

To put it bluntly, if the NHL teams with the highest revenues can't spend
any more than $36 million on player costs, you can be sure the new economic
system is not based on individual club revenues, which is the premise of the
Globe and Mail story.

Now, if all the Globe is actually saying is that big revenue teams will get
to spend at the top of end of the $36 million range and small revenue teams
will have to spend near the bottom end, well, that's a different story
because one suspects those salary range numbers were determined by a
percentage of league-wide revenues, such as the 54 per cent figure the
league has wanted for a long time.

And, make no mistake, there's a big difference between the two premises. A
very big difference.

Cheers,
Aquaman

 

[Aquaman]

McKenzie: Deal isn't a deal until it's done

TSN.ca Staff
6/16/2005

You can't begin any discussion of the NHL labour situation without the usual
disclaimers and provisos, that a new CBA isn't done until it's all done,
that things could still blow up, yadda, yadda, yadda...

As true as all that may be, this process finally looks as though it's headed
towards the home stretch.

Mind you, all people really want to know at this point is when is the
lockout over; when will the NHL and NHL Players' Association announce game
on?

Well, if you're in one of those end-of-lockout office pools, the end of the
month, in or around June 30th or July 1st, looks like the best-case scenario
for an official announcement, and it could conceivably drag on later than
that. But the best guess from both sides is that another solid two weeks of
work could, or should, produce a new, complete CBA.

It's a painstaking process because this time around, unlike the lockout of
1994-95, the NHL will not formally announce it is over until the league has
a detailed, completed CBA document fully agreed to by the NHLPA. That means
they are drafting the actual document as we speak, so when they call the
news conference for June 30th or July 1st or July 7th or 14th or whenever it
is, the only unfinished business will be ratification for each side.

One would like to think ratification, assuming both sides get it, would take
no longer than another week. That week will be crucial for the general
managers and agents to study the new hockey world order and be ready to
execute it.

Because not long after ratification, the green flag is going to drop and the
busiest and most bizarre offseason in the history of the game will be
underway.

Buyouts and signings will be the order of the day and while there seems to
be a sense out there the first order of business will be the draft lottery
and the entry draft, the priority is more likely to be on the buyouts, the
signing of restricted free agents and the 2003 unsigned draftees.

While the Sidney Crosby draft lottery could be held at any time, we
shouldn't be too surprised if the actual entry draft doesn't take place
until some time in August.

In the meantime, we'll get dribs and drabs of information that may or may
not prove to be accurate.

Take NHL participation in the Olympics, for instance.

Yes, the league and the players' association will agree to that, but if IOC
president Jacques Rogge isn't as accommodating as his predecessor Juan
Antonio Samaranch was in regards to insurance coverage and tickets and
accommodations for players and their families, well, it sort of takes us
back to where we started.

That is, a deal isn't a deal until it's all done.yadda, yadda, yadda.

Cheers,
Aquaman

 

[Aquaman]

NHL, NHLPA wrap up talks in New York

TSN.ca Staff
6/17/2005 3:28:05 PM

The National Hockey League and NHL Players' Association finished another
series of collective bargaining sessions on Friday.

The two sides met for 28 hours over four days and plan to resume talks
Monday in Toronto.

''We resumed small group meetings with the league this week and spent the
better part of four full days discussing a wide range of issues,'' NHLPA
senior director Ted Saskin said in a statement.

Saskin and outside counsel John McCambridge represented the NHLPA in New
York, while the NHL's chief legal advisor Bill Daly and outside counsel Bob
Batterman represented the league.

While there is still some painstaking work to be done to get a completed
CBA, planning has to be started on some post lockout events that will happen
soon after the new CBA is reached, such as the NHL Entry Draft. Sources say
the very tentative date for the entry draft is August 6, although that could
still change.

The NHL is apparently exploring the feasibility of staging a scaled down
version of the draft in Ottawa, which was supposed to play host to the event
on June 23. But the draft could also end up in the ballroom of a New York
City hotel. Wherever it's held, it's expected only the top-end prospects
will be in attendance and that NHL clubs will make their selections from
their own cities by phone or internet.

Everything is still very much up in the air, though steps are being taken to
start planning this event and others

Cheers,
Aquaman

 

[Aquaman]

Jagr: Salary cap stance was a mistake

Associated Press
6/21/2005

PRAGUE (AP) - New York Rangers forward Jaromir Jagr said Tuesday that the
players' refusal of a salary cap in talks with the NHL was a mistake.

"We started the fight because we didn't agree with the introduction of
salary caps," Jagr said.

"Now, we'll be happy to get them. We didn't expect the owners to be so tough
and persistent. It was a risk that didn't pay off."

Jagr was quoted, in Czech, on the Czech Ice Hockey Association's website.

The NHL and the NHL Players' Association recently agreed that a salary cap
model with an upper and lower limit will be the centrepiece of a new
agreement. A deal should be announced in the next two weeks or so.

The lockout started last September and wiped out the entire 2004-05 NHL
season.

Cheers,
Aquaman

 

[Aquaman]

Cap will present new issues for teams

Canadian Press
6/23/2005 5:21:18 PM

Don Waddell and John Ferguson have different challenges ahead of them when
the NHL re-opens for business this summer.

Waddell, the Atlanta Thrashers GM, will have plenty of salary cap room but
still faces two difficult signings in restricted free-agent stars Dany
Heatley and Ilya Kovalchuk.

Ferguson, Waddell's counterpart with the Toronto Maple Leafs, will likely be
looking to cut before he thinks of adding.

The Thrashers have 12 players under contract for next season at just $14.36
million US, taking into account the 24 per cent salary rollback that will be
part of the new collective bargaining agreement.

The Leafs, in contrast, have eight players under contract at $27 million.

With the upper limit on a salary cap expected to be anywhere between $35
million to $40 million in the new deal, the Leafs don't have a whole lot of
cash to fill out two thirds of their roster.

That leaves two candidates for potential buyouts: winger Owen Nolan or even
netminder Ed Belfour.

The fans' choice, judging from radio call-in shows in Toronto, would be
33-year-old Nolan and his $5.6-million salary (rollback included) for
2005-06.

"That's premature at this time," Ferguson said Thursday when asked about
Nolan. "We are projecting and analysing a number of scenarios."

Belfour is 40 and due to make $4.56 million (rollback included) next season.
On the other hand, who else will play goal for Toronto?

The Leafs could also create room by approaching captain Mats Sundin, slated
to earn $6.84 million (rollback included) next season, to renegotiate his
contract in order to create more cap room. Sundin, 34, has three more years
on his deal, maybe make it four or five?

J.P. Barry, the agent for both Nolan and Sundin, says it's too early to
speculate on those scenarios.

"I never comment on hypotheticals," he said from Calgary. "It seems like
everyone in Leaf Nation is a GM these days as we all wait patiently for a
new CBA. The Leafs, and every NHL club, aren't talking about their roster
strategies because they don't know the rules that will govern our
interaction. Since neither of us possesses a crystal ball, we will simply
have to prepare ourselves for every possibility."

The bottom line, regardless of what the Leafs end up doing, is that spending
will no longer be the only way to upgrade the team each off-season.

"I've said for some time that we're going to need to compete differently
under any new economic model," Ferguson said. "It's evident that the rules
will change and we need to adapt."

The Thrashers, meanwhile, went ahead and re-signed several players before
the lockout last year, but not for big money. Slava Kozlov is currently the
top earner for next season at $2.66 million (rollback included).

"We were OK signing guys to longer term as long as the dollars were right,"
Waddell said from Atlanta. "But we have some key guys that we have to sign.
And whatever the landscape is, it's critical for us to be able to maintain
not only our current roster but to be able to add where needed."

Waddell's chief concern won't be as much about fitting his stars under the
cap, but rather simply to get them re-signed.

And in many ways, the rest of the league will be taking note of what
happens. Heatley and Kovalchuk are franchise players coming off entry-level
contracts. What they end up signing for this summer could have a huge impact
on the new market for restricted free-agent stars.

"I think a lot of people might be watching, but I also think the market's
been set prior for these types of players," Waddell said. "And now with
potential reductions (in salary)... it'll be interesting. I don't know what
their thoughts are on it. I'm pretty confident we'll be able to sign both
guys, one may take longer than the other, but at the end of the day we'll
have them both signed."

Kovalchuk, who shared the Rocket Richard Trophy as the league's leading
sniper in 2003-04 with 41 goals, has already pocketed big money. The Russian
star made $14 million over his three-year entry-level deal - mostly in
bonuses - unheard of for entry-level players in the 10-year history of the
previous CBA.

Heatley didn't do badly himself, raking in more than $10 million in bonuses
and salary during his first three years in the league.

But both players approach their second contracts with the knowledge the NHL
salary structure is down 24 per cent to start with.

The Thrashers have to be careful with Kovalchuk, given that he earned $3.5
million - tax-free - with AK Bars Kazan during the lockout and the Russian
club would surely welcome him back with open arms. His agent Jay Grossman
said Russia could be an option for many players, if the new NHL deal is too
restrictive.

"(Kovalchuk) wants to play in the best league, but at the same time, part of
what is going to exist is a competitive environment across the board (around
the world) and if there's going to be a ribbon and a bow around the salaries
in the NHL - and I'm not saying Ilya would be the one to step out of that
box - but I sure think that other players may," Grossman said from New York.

Heatley's agent Stacey McAlpine said too much remains up in the air to even
speculate how things will unfold.

"Right now, I'm patiently waiting to see what this thing looks like,"
McAlpine said from Calgary. "And yes, I've got a reasonably good idea of
what it looks like, and I've got a reasonably good idea as to how it will
affect Dany's situation, but until it's actually here and we can see it and
touch it, then at that point we'll evaluate it and take it from there."

McAlpine will have some help, however. He's enlisted the services of veteran
agent Don Baizley to negotiate Heatley's new deal.

Cheers,
Aquaman

 

[Aquaman]

Report: NHL may skip '06 All-Star Game

TSN.ca Staff
6/24/2005 12:08:34 PM

According to a report in the East Valley Tribune, the National Hockey League
could skip the 2006 NHL All-Star Game.

NHL sources confirmed to the paper that, if the league sends players to the
2006 Winter Olympics in Italy, then the league would likely cancel the
All-Star game.

The All-Star weekend is scheduled for February 4-5, while the Olympic Games
are slated for February 10-26, making it difficult to incorporate both in a
new schedule, especially when travel and practice time are taken into
consideration.

A new collective bargaining agreement is reportedly nearing completion, and
the league doesn't want to shut down twice during a season in which they
will be trying to lure back fans after an acrimonious labour dispute.

Cheers,
Aquaman

 

[Aquaman]

Hull shoots on NHL/NHLPA labour war

TSN.ca Staff
6/24/2005 12:58:58 PM

With the National Hockey League and NHL Players' Association slowly inching
towards a new collective bargaining agreement, Hall of Famer Bobby Hull
still had some harsh words for both sides.

Hull, who was in Toronto Friday to promote an interactive 'Shoot For a Cure'
exhibit at the Hockey Hall of Fame, didn't hold back any punches on the
owners, players and NHLPA Executive Director Bob Goodenow.

"It's kind of crazy," he told reporters.

"You have billionaires against millionaires. I always thought (Bob) Goodenow
wasn't doing the right thing for the kids. He was leading them down the
garden path. He was hand-picked by Alan Eagleson and that's all you need to
know."

With the NHL enduring its labour problems last year, Hull tried to help
launch an alternative for fans in the World Hockey Association. The league,
aimed at providing fans with an exciting brand of hockey at affordable
ticket prices, never took off.

The NHL and NHL Players' Association have been meeting for weeks now,
working away at what appears to be a resolution to the 282-day work
stoppage.

"Hockey is a great game, but they've lost sight," Hull added.

"The kids don't care about the game anymore, they don't care about the fans,
nor do the owners. The most important people are being taken out of the
picture. They need to get back to realize what the game of hockey is and has
been, get the families back to see the game and get the grassroots people -
the fans - back to see the game again."

Cheers,
Aquaman

 

[Aquaman]

NHL, NHLPA wrap up five days of talks

Canadian Press
6/24/2005 7:20:29 PM

TORONTO (CP) - Like the Energizer bunny, NHL labour talks keep going and
going and going and will resume again Monday in New York.

The NHL and NHL Players' Association wrapped up more than 75 hours of talks
over five straight days in Toronto on Friday, as they painstakingly inched
towards a final resolution. The lawyers on each side of the table continue
to draft the agreement as they go along.

''It was a very long week but I think both sides are working really hard to
resolve and move the process forward,'' Bill Daly, the NHL's chief legal
officer and executive vice-president, said Friday evening before boarding a
plane for New York.

''We continued to make progress this week but there are still some issues
that we need to talk about,'' he added. ''We've made significant progress on
most of the critical areas but that's all contingent on everything being
resolved.''

Daly would not say when he thought a deal could finally be done, but it's
believed a tentative deal could be reached as early as next week or the
first week of July.

''There's a real sense of urgency of tying to get this behind us,'' Daly
said.

That urgency was displayed by 15- to 17-hour meetings each and every day
this week.

''The two parties engaged in lengthy negotiations every day this week, and
while progress has been made in a number of areas, there remains a
considerable amount of work to be completed in order to reach an
agreement,'' NHLPA senior director Ted Saskin said in a statement. ''We will
be continuing our meetings with the league on Monday morning in New York.''

Once a tentative deal is announced, the agreement will need to be ratified
in a full players vote on the union side and a board of governors
rubber-stamp on the NHL side.

Meanwhile, a report on Friday said the NHL all-star game would be scrapped
if the league does indeed take a break in its schedule to send its players
to the Turin Games. League sources said Friday no decision had been made on
any of those issues, next season's schedule still very much in the air
depending on how quickly a deal with the union can be reached.

The all-star weekend is scheduled for February 4-5, while the men's Olympic
hockey tournament runs from Feb. 15-26, with defending champion Canada
opening against Italy on the 15th.

Cheers,
Aquaman

 

[Aquaman]

NHLers already preparing for peace time

Associated Press
6/24/2005 6:28:50 PM

AMHERST, N.Y. (AP) - James Patrick got a sense of how eager his NHL
colleagues are to resume playing when the veteran defenceman tried to skip
out early on an informal practice Thursday.

Listening to Michael Peca and Matthew Barnaby ribbing him and calling him a
quitter, Patrick sheepishly shrugged his shoulders and returned for a few
more minutes. He was greeted by a rousing cheer from the small group of
Buffalo-area players who have been skating about twice a week during the NHL
labour dispute that wiped out all of last season.

While the 10-month dispute might not yet be officially over, talks are
reportedly progressing, leading to a renewed feeling a deal is imminent and
it's time for everyone to get into shape.

"During this past year when it didn't look that good, guys didn't have the
same outlook, the same attitude. If you missed a day, big deal," Patrick
said. "Now it's more, 'Gotta go, gotta go.' That's just the start of the
feeling you can see coming out."

The players are already making plans to step up their pace of practices to
three times a week next month.

"Things are looking very positive and we haven't heard that in a long time,"
said Sabres defenceman Jay McKee. "When you lose something for a year,
something that you're passionate about, it hurts. And to know that things
are looking positive and both sides are feeling better about the way things
are going, you can't help but be real excited."

Little news is filtering out of the labour talks, which have alternated
between Toronto and New York over the past two months. The framework of a
deal, which includes a salary cap, is reported to be already in place and
the NHL Players' Association informed its members two weeks ago that 90 per
cent of the agreement is settled.

McKee, who also serves as the Sabres union representative, accepts the cap
even though players were initially against one.

"It's easy to be the general after the war, and you can always look back and
say, 'What if?' or 'Maybe, we should've,"' McKee said. "I'll stand behind
our executive committee 100 per cent, whether we get the best deal in the
world or a deal we're shaking our heads at. I just want to get back out
there."

NHL teams also appear to be gearing up for a season, considering the flurry
of recent announcements.

This week alone, St. Louis re-signed head coach Mike Kitchen, Chicago hired
Dale Tallon as its new general manager, and Anaheim hired Brian Burke as the
team's executive vice-president and GM.

Sabres managing Larry Quinn said the team is anticipating to play next
season and optimistic a deal will be reached soon.

The players are taking the same approach.

"The common theme is there's no deal until there's a deal," said Peca, the
New York Islanders captain who lives in suburban Buffalo. "But obviously, it
appears that it's headed in the right direction and everybody's taking the
steps necessary to prepare for that."

Thursday's workout, which also included Sabres goaltender Martin Biron, was
a fast-paced and competitive scrimmage. Although there was no hitting,
players enthusiastically celebrated goals as if it were the regular season.

"You can see the eagerness and the competitiveness coming back," Peca said.

"I can't wait to play," Peca said, pausing briefly. "But I need to wait
because I need to get in better shape."

Cheers,
Aquaman

 

[Aquaman]

Roenick goes on tirade over NHL lockout

TSN.ca Staff with KDKA files
6/26/2005 12:03:50 AM

The National Hockey League and NHL Players' Association may be off for the
weekend from CBA talks, but that didn't stop Philadelphia Flyers forward
Jeremy Roenick from offering up another two cents on the topic.

Roenick, who was speaking at a Saturday media conference for Mario Lemieux's
charity golf tournament, let out all his frustrations on the NHL lockout in
a profanity-laced diatribe.

"They could have listened to the players who had an idea of where this was
going - myself, (Flyers teammate) Robert Esche, (Calgary Flames captain)
Jarome Iginla and (St. Louis Blues defenceman) Chris Pronger," he explained.

"But in February, I didn't think the deal stood up."


Roenick was referring to his involvement with Esche, Pronger and Iginla as
part of a group that reportedly tried to put forth new, independent ideas
for a collective bargaining agreement. Several reports said that some of his
fellow players were later upset and angry over his actions.

Roenick also said Saturday that the new CBA will be much less than what was
offered to the Players' Association back in February.

"If we would have signed that deal in February, in terms of what we're
getting now, we would have looked like heroes," he added.

"Right now we look like a bunch of idiots...The deal in February beats the
(expletive) out of the deal we're gonna sign in July."

Though both the NHL and NHLPA have had weeks of small-group meetings and
intense bargaining sessions, neither side has been specific about when a
deal could finally be done. It's believed a tentative deal could be reached
as early as next week or after the Canada Day and Fourth of July weekend.
The renewed sense of optimism over an impending deal is a stark contrast to
the doom and gloom of four months ago when NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman
cancelled the 2004-2005 season.

"It's unfortunate we had to go through a whole year to realize the
(expletive) that was going on," said Roenick. "We've hurt our league, we've
hurt the reputation of our league and the integrity of our league by
sticking up for something that might not have been the right thing to do."

Roenick then made his case for NHL players and what he thought of public
opinion up to this point.

"If people are going to sit and chastise pro athletes for being cocky - for
being suck asses - they need to look at one thing and that's the deal we're
going to be signing in about three weeks," he said.

"Pro athletes are not cocky. Pro athletes care about the game. Everybody out
there who calls us spoiled because we play a game - they can kiss my ass."

Even if a new NHL collective bargaining agreement is reached, the 15-year
NHL veteran may not make a return to the ice.

Roenick told Sporting News Radio on Friday that he has not made up his mind
about whether or not he'll lace up his skates again.

"I have to see how my body reacts to some really, really, really hard
training regimen here coming up in the latter part of the summer," he said.

"It's very hard to get motivated without a deal. Once that announcement
comes, I think the motivational factor will definitely be lifted. I have not
100 percent made my decision to play, but to tell you the truth, I have a
lot of drive in me and really, really want to continue."

Cheers,
Aquaman

 

[Aquaman]

Roenick: Comments taken out of context

TSN.ca Staff
6/28/2005 10:10:10 AM

Jeremy Roenick says he wasn't misquoted when he went on a rant about hockey
fans last weekend. But the Philadelphia Flyers forwards says his comments
were taken out of context.

"Before I went into my rant, I was talking about the game of hockey, about
getting it back on the ice, about what we have to do for the fans and
telling people it's not about who wins or loses, it's about the game,"
Roenick tells the Philadelphia Inquirer.

"But the media picked out the negative stuff. Don't show snippets of the
interview; show the whole interview, the whole message. My message during
the interview was: How do we make the game more appealing to the fans?"

Roenick says what set him off was a question about the NHL lockout being the
fault of the players.

"That got my gall," he said. "We gave more back to the owners in this deal
than any other sport has done. Before that question, I was talking about the
game, how it was important to make it up to the fans and do something for
them, and then that question came."

TSN was one of few media outlets which carried the bulk of Roenick's
comments before his "kiss my ass" comments, which garnered the majority of
air time on many of the major U.S. networks.

Roenick says he left several messages with ESPN asking why they didn't show
more of his comments prior to his rant.

Cheers,
Aquaman

 

[Aquaman]

Legace sounds off on union committee

TSN.ca Staff
6/30/2005 12:46:39 PM

With the NHL and the NHLPA slowly inching towards a new collective bargaining agreement, Detroit Red Wings goaltender Manny Legace had some choice words for his union leaders.

''The whole thing is a farce,'' the Red Wings' union representative told the Booth Newspapers group on Wednesday. ''We basically sat out for nothing, wasted a lot of money for nothing. It makes no sense to me.''

With a deal expected to be announced some time in the coming days or weeks, Legace wonders why the 'PA didn't accept a better deal that was offered last winter.

''They (ticked) off all the owners and (the owners) went out to screw the players,'' Legace said of union leaders.

''They had the right intention. They made everyone buy into what they told us. Now it seems like they're giving up everything just to start the season on time.

Legace said he would support the union if they continued to take a strong stance.

''If we're going to give up all this now, why wasn't the union smart enough to get a deal done sooner, instead of saying, 'Screw you,' (to the owners) the whole time?'' Legace told the paper. ''I lost $1.3 million. What was the purpose?

''We hurt businesses downtown, we hurt fans, we hurt everybody - for nothing. I feel bad for those people. I could understand if we were still sticking to a cause. What reason did we sit out for? It doesn't make sense.''

Asked if Goodenow is to blame, Legace said, ''It's not just him, it's the whole (executive) committee.''

Cheers,
Aquaman