comment...

i will comment tomorrow,on both press conferences,between the NHL,and NHLPA,about the collective bargaining agreement talks,and i do really have something to say,but right now,i am very,very upset about the stalling of the talks...

commentary...

now,it finally looks like third NHL lockout in 17 years is on.... the NHL says that the counter-proposal made by the NHLPA,was for three years,and a fourth year of players' option,of team-related revenues,"snap back",to 57%,of total revenue,which is a total non-starter,and a total joke,of a proposal... when NHLPA hired Donald Fehr,as head of their union,i honestly knew that this (2012-2013 NHL season)was in deep trouble,because my deep loathing of Donald Fehr goes back to 1994,when he and MLB Commissioner Bud Selig(do not get me going on him,please)shut down the 1994 season,in August,or September,and cancelled that year's World Series,which i will never forgive,or forget that little fact... as a true hockey fan,i am very,very upset,and very sad,right now...

commentary...

i am a true hockey fan... people may say that i just watched the 1997 and 1998 Stanley Cup Finals highlights,because i am a Detroit Red Wings' fan,and they would be right,but honestly,i still remember the breaking of the forty-two year Stanley Cup drought,like it was yesterday,and honestly,i love to look back at history... since there is a severe dead time in the NHL,with a possibility of a third lockout,since 1995,and second one since 2004,looking back at real history,and remembering the goals(Darren McCarty's Stanley Cup winning goal,from 1997,against Philadelphia Flyers was a stunning beauty),and real beauty of "the beautiful game" makes me literally cry...
people tend to forget that the true game of hockey is a stick,a puck,and child shooting at an open net,and that real beauty,and not the business of the game,which,right now,does suck rock... i love the game of hockey so much,that i simply say that,"out of one arm,i bleed Red and White(Detroit Red Wings' colors),and out of the other arm,i bleed Green,White,and Gold(Green Bay Packers' colors)"... to tell you the truth,i really do,but i love the real,true,and beautiful game of hockey most of all...

NHL news...

Jordan Eberle signed a six year contract extension,worth $36 million,with the Edmonton Oilers...

NHL news...

Kyle Turris signed a five year contract extension,with the Ottawa Senators:worth five years,worth $17.5 million...

blog statement...

i will do team analysis of all thirty NHL teams,around September 15th(the last day of the current expiring collective bargaining agreement(CBA)),and if there is a lockout,it will be delayed,to around of the start of training camp,whenever that will be(depending of length of 2012-2013 NHL season)...

collective agreement talks update...

the NHLPA is considering a new NHL economic proposal,according to the Detroit News,and NHL.com,and is meeting,today...

Red Wings' news...

Pavel Datsyuk's agent,Gary Greenstin,says if there is a NHL lockout,his client will weigh options to play in the Kontinenetal Hockey League(KHL)... Datsyuk has been practicing with his hometown KHL team,and says that he wants to play,for a team,"that fights for the championship"...

update...

i have not talked about unrestricted free agent Shane Doan too much,recently... he has said that he wants to wait to make a decision until after the Phoenix Coyotes' ownership situation is settled(it is not settled),but now he is saying that he will make his decision,by September 15th(the last day of the expiring CBA)... Doan is last link to the original Winnipeg Jets' team,when he was drafted by the Jets,before they moved to Phoenix,from Winnipeg,in 1997...

update...

Jack Jablonski had a great but busy weekend,last weekend... last week,he visited the Minnesota Vikings' training camp,blew the gjallarhorn(Vikings' big ceremonial horn),before the Vikings' preseason game,against the San Diego Chargers,and then the Los Angeles Kings' Davis Drewiske brought the Stanley Cup,for part of his day with the Stanley Cup,to Jablonski's house... on the medical front,Jablonski was actually crawling on the ground,during a recent checkup... GO JACK!!!!!!!

trivia...

what is important about a zero-zero tie,between the Toronto Maple Leafs,and the Montreal Canadiens,on March 10,1955,in Montreal,in which Canadiens' fans got so mad that they threw garbage,on the ice,including pigs' feet,because of the Maple Leafs' defensive play??? answer:the Zamboni* was first introduced,that night...
*trademarked...

commentary...

NHL.com has their "30 in 30" analysis of every NHL team focused on the San Jose Sharks,today... an early first round playoff loss,to St. Louis Blues,after two consecutive Western Conference Finals appearances does not look good to the fans... the addition of Brad Stuart,and assistant coach(and nine time Stanley Cup Champion,six as a player)Larry Robinson should help their 29th ranked penalty kill(it was 79.5%,last year),but nothing else has changed in San Jose,and with their major stars,all over the age of 30 years of age,and no major help coming from their American Hockey League affiliate(Worcester MA. Sharks),in terms of younger back-end talent,the Sharks' window to win the Stanley Cup appears to be closing... since Logan Couture was drafted,they have had only two first round NHL draft picks(one of those,in 2012)... i told you last season that trading goals,for goals was not going to work,because the trades took out the younger talented Sharks out of their major team rotation,and left the Sharks with very little back-end talent on their roster.. the top two lines,on their roster are very good,but Houston,they have a major problem,the team balance is way off,because they need somebody young to give them major contributions in terms of goalscoring(12 to 15 goals,next season),and team defense(remember 79.5% penalty kill,last season)... that will improve because of Stuart,and Robinson,but the talent on the ice has not changed that much,which is the team killer,because,in San Jose,no Stanley Cup means frustration,the clock keeps on ticking,and the window is closing... they should have cleaned house and started over,not in terms of talent,but the problem is the inept front office,but now they are stuck in a position that no NHL team would like to be in,because the major contenders,and even the teams(not in playoffs,last season) have improved in both conferences,and the Sharks have stayed basically the same,which is the major problem,in San Jose...

i am taking a day off,from this blog,today...

NHL news...

Edmonton Oilers re-signed Taylor Hall to a seven year contract extension;worth $42 million...

a letter to Gary,and Donald...

to the NHL,and NHLPA:you are simply going through the motions,of meeting... are you kidding me,ninety minutes,then next week?you should get in the room,and not come out until you have an agreement,if you are serious about getting an agreement done,but both of you,in a corporate way,are not definitely not serious about coming to an agreement,because you pose in front of the cameras,and say the most inane things,about getting an agreement in place,and then go behind closed doors,and simply lie to each other,about agreeing,so then you go out and simply do not tell the fans nothing at all,about the negotiations,for the new collective bargaining agreement(CBA),and then the clock ticks onto the date of expiration of the old CBA(September 15th,2012),and as NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman,has said,in certain terms,there will be a lockout,and then the 2012-2013 NHL season,is either shortened,or scrapped,like in 2004-2005... as one fan who does remember the callous cancellation of that season,by Commissioner Bettman,it made me mad then... how do you think it will affect the fans of the NHL,now,if both of you go down that route,again??? do you even care??? get the job done!!!!!!!!!!! (sorry,folks,this is a stream of thought,not a normal post)...

commentary...

honestly,is the NHL,and the NHLPA serious about the new collective bargaining agreement and its extension,into a time frame,that is feasible,for both the League,the NHLPA,and the fans??? the NHL's proposal wanted player share of revenue go from 57%, to 46%... union numbers,which are different;they are talking of 43% of team revenue,for the players,instead of 46%,according to the NHL... the union's proposal was for the collective bargaining agreement to be,for three years... YOU KIDDING ME??? what a joke,on both fronts... NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman,and NHLPA head Donald Fehr(he,of the 1994 MLB lockout,and strike fame)must want to get a new CBA in place,and there is still time,but to cancel a negotiating session,on Wednesday,does not look good to the fans... with Bettman saying that the NHL will not play under the expiring CBA,and thus threatening a lockout,of the players,it is time to get off your hands to do something... does anyone hear the fans,and their complaints? i do not think so...

Red Wings' news...

Red Wings' 2012 second round NHL draft pick Martin Frk* had minor knee surgery,and should be ready for the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League season,where he will play for the Halifax(Nova Scotia)Mooseheads,this season...
*Red Wings did not have a first round draft pick,this season...

NHL news...

Scott Hartnell signed a six year contract extension,with the Philadelphia Flyers:worth $28.5 million...

NHL news...

Mike Fisher signed a contract extension,with the Nashville Predators:worth $8.4 million,for two years...

KHL news...

Stanley Cup winner(with Pittsburgh Penguins-2009)Miroslav Satan has signed a contract with Slovan Bratislava,for their first season,in the Kontinental Hockey League(KHL)...

NHL news...

the Nashville Predators signed defenseman Scott Hannon,to an one year contract,Friday...

sorry,folks...

i am very tired to do any serious blogging,today,so stay tuned,tomorrow...

hockey news...

Canada beat Finland,4-0 to win their fifth straight Ivan Hlinka Memorial Hockey Tournament(in other words,the under-18 World Cup),when Nathan MacKinnon,who plays for the Halifax Mooseheads,of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League,scored a hat trick... two,of three goals that he scored were in the second period,when Canada scored three goals...

collective agreement talks update...

general issues about the game of hockey were discussed in the most recent collective bargaining agreement(CBA)talks... the economic issues are the most important issues still on the table,and will be discussed next Wednesday,in further negotiations,and the old CBA expires September 15th,2012,remember?

Red Wings' news...

due to the uncertainty of the labor troubles(CBA talks),and pending lockout,the Red Wings have cancelled their annual prospects camp,in Traverse City,Michigan...

commentary...

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman was,"disappointed",in the NHLPA's counter economic proposal to the new collective bargaining agreement(CBA) talks,and says that there is a "wide gap",in both proposals... he has said that the NHL owners will not play under the expiring,but,right now,current CBA,for another season... anyone,for a possible LOCKOUT,this season??? old CBA expiring September 15th,2012... my feelings for Bettman,as NHL Commissioner,go way deep,and let me say,that they are very low grade,as a Commissioner,of a professional sports league... he presided over the shady movement of a franchise,from Winnipeg,to Phoenix(and that franchise is still owed,by the NHL,as of right now),and the 2004-2005 NHL lockout,which,to this day,irritates me no end(and still is the only time,that a professional sports league shut down,because of labor trouble,for an entire season)...

Happy Birthday,Ivan...

former Red Wings' player Ivan Boldirev was born,today,in Zrenjanin,Yugoslavia(now:Serbia),in 1949... he played 1,052 games,in his career,from 1970-1971,to 1984-1985,including stops in Boston(Bruins),Oakland(California Golden Seals),Chicago(Blackhawks),Atlanta(Flames),Vancouver(Canucks),and in Detroit(Red Wings)... he was in Detroit the last three years,of his NHL career...

NHL news...

Max Pacioretty signed a six year contract extension,with the Montreal Canadiens,worth about $27 million dollars...

good news,and bad news...

good news:the Red Wings have not lost too many players,to free agency this off-season...
good news:the Red Wings have about $13 million,in salary cap space,this off-season...
good news:it seems that the Red Wings are the same team,as last year...
bad news:Nicklas Lidstrom,their captain,retired,leaving the biggest hole in the defensive blueline,perhaps in last 20+ years,of team history...
bad news:they have signed very few free agents,missing out on the big names,in free agency...
bad news:Red Wings lost in five games,to Nashville,in the first round of last year's playoffs...
bad news,for the fans:a very long 82 game season....

NHL news...

Philadelphia Flyers' Andreas Lilja has had hip surgery,and will miss four months,may be back in December,or January(if the season starts on time,depending on collective bargaining agreement talks)...

hockey news...

Cristobal Huet foregoes NHL return,and signed a four year contract,with Lausanne,of the Swiss League...

trivia...

which two players did not miss a regular season game,in 2011-2012,for the Red Wings? answer:Niklas Kronwall,and Henrik Zetterberg...

NHL news...

the NHLPA is supposed to have a counter proposal for the NHL,early next week,possibly Tuesday,when the NHL,and NHLPA,meet next,for negotiations...

Canada-Russia Challenge...

the Canada-Russia Challenge is a series of four games,looking back to 1972 Summit Series,between Canada,and the Soviet Union(a rather nasty series of seven games,won by Canada in a surprise win,of 4 games to 3 games,back in 1972)... now back to the future:the first two games have been played in Jaroslavl,Russia,and the next two games will be played in Halifax,Nova Scotia... Canada won first game,3-2,with a three goal second period,and Russia won the second game,6-3,behind Kirill Kasputin's hat trick... Kasputin plays for... guess who? Lokomotiv Jaroslavl!!!!! proceeds of the series' games,in Jaroslavl,Russia,go to helping the families of the Lokomotiv Jaroslavl plane tragedy...

Red Wings' news...

the Red Wings have about $13 million dollars,in salary cap room... they need help,on the blueline,but it appears that they are waiting for the new collective bargaining agreement(CBA)to be ratified,to fill out their roster,for next season...

NHL news...

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman says that NHL will lock out the players,without a new collective bargaining agreement... the old CBA expires September 15th,2012...

today in NHL history...

twenty-four years ago today,Wayne Gretzky was traded by the Edmonton Oilers,to the Los Angeles Kings... even though the Oilers won the Stanley Cup,in 1990,without him,Edmonton,honestly,has not been the same team,since then... however,the NHL has exploded into Southern California,Arizona,and Florida,since that date... NHL pundits,and hockey buffs,see the day as,"the day that hockey changed"... former owner Peter Pocklington is still a villain,in Edmonton,for selling(trading)Gretzky,to Kings... however it was a dispute,between Gretzky,and Pocklington,over his contract,and the fact that Gretzky changed his personal services contract,to a standard five year contract,and making him a free agent,in 1988-1989,and the fact that Gretzky would not renegotiate his contract,during the season... that was not known to the fans,at that time... the press conference in Edmonton,for Gretzky,saying goodbye to the fans was a tear jerker...

collective bargaining agreement update...

the collective bargaining agreement(CBA)negotiations yesterday focused on supplemental discipline issues,in their ongoing talks,and it will go on... old CBA expires September 15th,and both sides have said that there is still time to come up with new CBA,before that date... until then,i will be upbeat about the negotiations...

collective agreement talks update...

NHL,and NHLPA met again yesterday in collective bargaining agreement(CBA)talks... they go through today... the NHLPA is close in giving a counter-proposal in contract talks...

Kocur's cause...

former Red Wings' enforcer Joey Kocur has a charity softball game,near Detroit,at least for the last four years,to benefit The Joe Kocur Foundation,for Children... Team White beat Team Red,14-7... it is an event,with four different games that day;a Little League game,a sponsor appreciation game,a law enforcement vs. firefighters game,and a celebrities game,with many Detroit-area professional players playing,along with announcers involved,playing,and commentating the game... last year(2011),it raised $75,000... to help children,it was a class act,and a whole lot of fun...

Red Wings' news...

Red Wings signed Tomas Jurco,their 2011 second round pick,to a three year entry level contract(rookie contract),and will play with the Grand Rapids Griffiths,their American Hockey League affiliate...

commentary...

the Boston Bruins have a problem in goal,this upcoming season... they lost their starting goaltender(Tim Thomas),to "personal reasons"(his words),and they did sign his backup(Tuukka Rask),to an one year contract,last week,but the Bruins are saying that it is no big deal... only thing is:to go into a complete 82 game NHL season,with one proven(no matter how good that guy is)goaltender,is major trouble(example:2009-2010 Red Wings',and last half,of last season(2012-2013),with the Red Wings,when they had major injuries,and they called up players,from Grand Rapids)... no matter what the Bruins say,they have major trouble,this upcoming season...

NHL news...

Phoenix Coyotes' free agent Shane Doan reiterated his desire to re-sign with the only club that he has been with,throughout his NHL career... he was drafted by the original Winnipeg Jets,and moved to Phoenix with the franchise... he is holding up his decision,because of the instability of the ownership situation... he has visited five,or so,teams for salary offers,but really wants to end his career,with Phoenix... i really hope the ownership situation in Phoenix,is cleared up soon... two things do hold it up,and they are:a possible referendum,and lawsuit,aiming to reverse the city of Glendale(Arizona),and its arena deal,with possible owner Greg Jamison,and a possible "gift clause" lawsuit,being pondered,by the Goldwater Institute... by the way,the NHL-NHLPA collective bargaining agreement talks also hold up the entire season...

trivia...

what head coach guided the Red Wings to their very first Stanley Cup,in 1936? answer:Jack Adams,whom the coach of the year trophy is named for...
what Hockey Hall of Fame member played his last game,in the Stanley Cup playoffs,against Detroit,for the Toronto Maple Leafs,in 1936? answer:Frank "King" Clancy,who later refereed 20 Stanley Cup Finals' games,and was inducted into the HHOF,IN 1958... when he died,in 1986,he was the last surviving member of the great 1922-1923 original Ottawa Senators' Stanley Cup-winning team(it was before the formation of the NHL)... the King Clancy Memorial Trophy is named for him,for leadership,on,and off the ice... his nickname,"King",came from his father who played Canadian football,for Ottawa,and his father,was known as,"the King of the Heelers",and then shortened to "King"... heeling was the way that they snapped the football,back in the early 20th century...

Red Wings' news...

former Red Wings' coach Scotty Bowman will coach the Red Wings' alumni during the 2013 Bridgestone Winter Classic alumni game,the day before the Winter Classic game between the Toronto Maple Leafs,and the Detroit Red Wings,and Sergei Fedorov,and members of "the Russian Five" will also play in the game...
Red Wings renew agreement with the East Coast Hockey League's Toledo Walleye through the 2013-2014 season...

KHL news...

Lokomotiv Jaroslavl opens KHL regular season,6 Septembre 2012,one day,before anniversary of KHL plane crash,at Sibir(Qashliq);historical capital of the Khanate of Sibir(it is also the Russian name for Siberia)...

KHL preseason action...

Lokomotiv Jaroslavl returned to KHL preseason hockey action,last night... they lost to CSKA Moscow,4-1... THE TRAIN WILL RISE...

Happy Birthday,Leo...

former Red Wings' player,and Hockey Hall of Fame member(class of 1986),Leo Boivin was born on this day,in 1932... Boivin played 1,150 games,for Toronto Maple Leafs,Boston Bruins,Red Wings,Pittsburgh Penguins,and the Minnesota North Stars,from 1951-1952,to 1969-1970,and had 1,192 penalty minutes in his NHL career... he coached the Ottawa 67's,of the Ontario Hockey League,for brief period,tutoring a young Denis Potvin,who was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame,in 1991...

NHL news...

Philadelphia Flyers re-signed head coach Peter LaViolette to a two year contract extension...