Well, while I may have had my differences with some in this thread about this whole process, I will say this.
Its over. Thank god. Hockey is back. Lets all be on the same team again and love our Bolts. Cant wait. Im a sheep and I dont care haha.
I'm a sheep too. I convinced myself I didn't care and I likely wouldn't be a fan at the level I was but I went out and bought NHL 13 today, will be at the forum opening night and will buy Center Ice as soon as I can.
I can't stand Fennelly's one sentence paragraphs. I generally agree with him though but I will be back opening night, I also am interested in a 48/50 game season. 82 games does seem like a grind for fans and players alike.
Minimal training camp, back to back games only with eastern conference foes and the cup the end of June would not be good unless the Bolts make the finals.
The way I feel, I'm a hockey fan not a businessman or a lawyer. I couldn't care less about who comes out ahead in the new CBA or what the specific reasons for losing half the season were. All I care about is that NHL hockey is back and I get to cheer for my favorite sports team again.
The way I saw this whole thing is having two friends who had an argument and refused to talk to each other. I did not want to take sides so I just let them sort it out on their own even though I think they are both being idiots about the situation. Now that they have reconciled I am ready to hang out with them again at their earliest convince.
There is also a question of how many players will be invited to the abbreviated training camp, including how many to bring in from the team's minor-league affiliate, how many days the camp will last and where it will be held — with Orlando as a possible site for the Lightning.
"I'm assuming the league and PA will have some say regarding camps and the number of players,'' Yzerman said. "So I'm just waiting.''
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"It's still All In to me dammit." - Felonious Python
Last edited by TheDaysOf 04: 01-06-2013 at 11:09 PM.
The first thought I had today was: since the lockout is over, how will that affect negotiations?
A camp that starts after Saturday is the most beneficial to the Lightning. The Crunch wouldn't have any games until the 18th, which by then the roster should be complete. It means fewer days potentially in Orlando, but the league never seemed too concerned with what I want, personally.
I've read from good sources that all 30 teams may play on the 19th.
Last edited by Felonious Python: 01-07-2013 at 09:10 AM.
Let's see...5 days from now...Jan 12th. The deadline was set on the 11th. How were they expecting to get the season started on the 19th if this is taking so long? 6 days like this from a Jan 11th deadline would put ratification on the 17th.
Could they still be following a script? ****'s over. Razzie to the writer.
Last edited by Felonious Python: 01-07-2013 at 09:46 AM.
I was thinking about the B reel footage the NHL took away from us. Gary and Don entering and exiting buildings, Sidney holding his jacket while walking down the hall, Doan walking towards the camera, NHL people entering the meeting room, Chipman and Vinik getting off the escalator, and for that matter, the wonderful shot of Bettman riding it, etc.
I would have loved for one of the players to have left one of the meetings that went late to have exited dressed in PJs. Let TSN run that clip for a few weeks.
Arthur Staple @StapeNewsday
Quote:
Statement from L. Visnovsky: "I have decided to stay and continue my career in the KHL for the remainder of the 2012-13 season...
Tampa Bay Lightning chairman and governor Jeff Vinik issued the following statement pending the ratification of a new Collective Bargaining Agreement between the National Hockey League and the National Hockey League Players’ Association:
“On behalf of the entire Lightning organization I would like to express our excitement to get back on the ice and, more importantly, welcome the fans back to the Tampa Bay Times Forum for our landmark 20th NHL season,” Vinik said. “We are glad to be back and would like to thank all our fans for their unwavering patience during what has admittedly been a long and difficult few months. With a world-class arena, and an improved team on the ice we are looking forward to what should be an exciting season as our team battles for a coveted position in the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs.”
Renaud Lavoie @RenLavoieRDS
Penguins ownership:"We offer our apology. There is nothing we can say to explain or excuse what has happened over the past four months."
Bob McKenzie @TSNBobMcKenzie
NHL player now back from RUS says KHL teams putting major pressure and huge money on table to keep NHLers from returning to North America.
Also, James Mirtle has tweeted two interesting facts about the new CBA:
Quote:
Can 100% confirm the new CBA will include the cap benefit recapture formula. It will apply to existing deals "in excess of six years"
Quote:
James Mirtle @mirtle
Teams will be able to retain salary/cap hit in a trade. This will be a very complex and carefully worded portion of new CBA I'm sure.
Keeping salary in trades: Teams can have up to three contracts at one time that they are retaining the salary of.
The max teams can keep is 15% of the salary cap. Only 50% of a deal can be kept. A contract can have salary retained in a trade only twice.
I've seen that we'll be technically over the cap for next season under the new CBA, what are people's thoughts on who gets traded? Who gets bought out?
I've seen that we'll be technically over the cap for next season under the new CBA, what are people's thoughts on who gets traded? Who gets bought out?
We don't need to make any moves. Just by replacing some of the players with the young (and cheaper) talent we have in Syracuse will help keep us under. For instance Garon has a $1.3 mil cap hit this season and will be replaced by Tokarski or Helenius next year. I'd also expect Ohlund and Bergeron, a combined $4.6 mil to come off the cap too.
I've seen that we'll be technically over the cap for next season under the new CBA, what are people's thoughts on who gets traded? Who gets bought out?
Ohlund is def. getting bought out.
There will also be a battle for the bottom halves for both forwards and defensemen.
Boucher or whoever saying that they want a new look for the bottom six is a pretty clear sign to those guys that their jobs are on the line.
Last edited by Felonious Python: 01-08-2013 at 07:00 AM.
It may be better not to buy out Ohlund. I presume they had insured his contract, so that would be paying his salary, and you can go over the cap by the LTIR players cap hit
Reports are saying that the buyouts are going to follow two seasons. Both after the end of the 2013 and the 2013-14 season. A team can use one per summer, or both at once in either year.
We're also getting dinged by Bettman on the Luongo rule for Vinny. Yay.
The Luongo rule, as I've come to understand it, is that contracts longer than 6-years, no grandfather, will count on a team's cap, whether the player is active or not.
If the guy is traded, then the cap hit is taken off the team that traded him, but should he retire before the contract's expiration, the cap hit continues and is split between the team he retires on and the team he originally signed the deal with. The remaining money is averaged out over the remaining years that would be left in the deal.
and that kids, is how we got unofficial 6-year term limits.