2025-2026 NHL Offseason

drivingrl

eeriepadave wrote:

watch about 20,000-25,000 teddy bears hit the ice at a Calgary Hitmen game

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bN5iZVxn ... e=youtu.be

WOW. That is SO many teddy bears. They just keep coming over the glass.

That sad little ice rake is not gonna pick up all those bears.

kenshunt

81 wrote:

#podium

i saw it trending on twitter

Indifference71

Apparently talks have broken off. The owners didn't like the player's latest proposal where the players made a TON of concessions. This whole thing is a fucking joke.

lukin2006

NHL labor talks break down

The latest round of NHL labor talks broke down Thursday when the league rejected the players' proposal of an eight-year collective bargaining agreement.

Players' association director Donald Fehr said the union received a voicemail message from the NHL, which stated that the proposal was unacceptable and that there was no need to continue negotiations Friday.

Fehr also said he doesn't believe the lockout will be resolved soon. The voicemail, left for union special counsel Steve Fehr, stated that "some things or everything" the league has offered is now off the table, according to Donald Fehr, who added that this is not a positive development.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and deputy commissioner Bill Daly are expected to address the media later Thursday, the 82nd day of the lockout. Bettman was not part of the one-hour meeting earlier in the day.

The union's latest offer proposed and eight-year collective bargaining agreement, which included an opt-out clause for the players after the sixth year. The NHLPA also offered to limit the length of players' contracts to eight years.

Information from ESPN.com's Pierre LeBrun and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

lukin2006

You might be able to kiss the season bye, bye!!!

BLACK35

lukin2006 wrote:

You might be able to kiss the season bye, bye!!!

yep......I've been thinking that since this all started, can't believe it

neilybabes86

talks done...season over..fucking joke


i'm done with my season tickets....i won't give the league a dime

ill still love the game and watch on tv,but i won't ever buy a ticket again :(

Indifference71

BLACK35 wrote:

lukin2006 wrote:

You might be able to kiss the season bye, bye!!!

yep......I've been thinking that since this all started, can't believe it

It's pretty sad. Like a bunch of spoiled children who cry when they don't get their way. It makes me sick.

lukin2006

When you got 3 teams responsible for 83 % of the revenue you've got problems. Personally I think the NHL is poorly marketed with at least 6 teams too many.

You have too think getting a deal done at this stage is bleak ... Have they even discussed some of the minor issues like realignment. Probably not.

BLACK35

Well atleast the World Junior hockey tournament is coming up.......can't wait to watch some hockey

MayDay10

Indifference71 wrote:

Apparently talks have broken off. The owners didn't like the player's latest proposal where the players made a TON of concessions. This whole thing is a fucking joke.

I dont really see any concessions. They took the concessions the owners made, kept them in there, and then threw in some awful ones like a 6 year length of CBA (when NHL (and fans) wants 10 with an option for both sides at 8), The NHL giving back $100 million on the make-whole was based on the CBA length.... and an 8-year limit in contract term.... how many contracts are >8 years? Thats not a concession.

the NHL was ready to make a deal last night. I feel very confident if the NHLPA put last night's deal up for a vote, it would pass

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/hocke ... bled=false

The snag that hit NHL negotiations Wednesday was not just a result of hardline owners refusing to budge and players venting frustrations. Tension built because some of Tuesday's peacemakers among the ownership were startled by the resistance and lack of progress they encountered once the league began discussing specific proposals and issues with the union, according to sources.

None of those moderate voices of reason has become as important to this negotiation as Pittsburgh Penguins co-owner Ron Burkle, an approachable billionaire who flew to New York on Monday on the same plane as his team's captain, Sidney Crosby, and Crosby's agent, Pat Brisson, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

Burkle, the son of a California grocery-store manager who first joined a union at the age of 13, according to an October article in the New Yorker, took charge recently of hockey's aimless negotiations with the help of Crosby, the face of the league, on the other side of the table. They teamed with other owners and players on Tuesday to build a solid foundation for bargaining.

The severe risk run on Wednesday, however, when the NHL did not receive the response it anticipated after making both financial and contractual concessions, was in alienating the owners welcomed into negotiations by the NHL for the first time on Tuesday — namely Burkle, the Winnipeg Jets' Mark Chipman and the Tampa Bay Lightning's Jeff Vinik. None of them had been in the room the past five months to see exactly why these meetings weren't generating more progress.

Jeremy Jacobs (Boston Bruins) and Murray Edwards (Calgary Flames), who have participated as members of the NHL's negotiating committee throughout the lockout, remained in this week's meetings. But they were not the changing variables creating cautious optimism Tuesday — the moderate voices were the difference, such as that of Burkle.

One person familiar with the Penguins co-owner said of Burkle: "He commands respect from people; his humility is disarming," and called him, "trustworthy."

Early Thursday, the league and union were in contact, but no one from the NHL arrived at the hotel for a face-to-face meeting with the union until 3:43 p.m., and the group included just two people: deputy commissioner Bill Daly and lawyer Bob Batterman.

The NHL's Wednesday proposal included several moves toward the union, according to details first reported by John Shannon and Michael Grange of SportsNet in Canada. The league proposed a 10-year agreement and a $99 million increase of the money it would pay to “make whole” player contracts affected by a reset to a 50-50 revenue split, bringing the total “make whole” offer to $300 million. (The players asked for a five-year agreement and $393 million in their Nov. 21 proposal. )

The NHL backed off from changes to a player's eligibility for restricted free agency and for contract arbitration. The league also stood firm on reducing player contract terms from unlimited to a maximum of five years, but it threw in a wrinkle in which teams could sign their own free agents for up to seven years. (Still, it's difficult to envision players agreeing to such a drastic reduction in opportunity for long deals.)

Indifference71

neilybabes86 wrote:

talks done...season over..fucking joke


i'm done with my season tickets....i won't give the league a dime

ill still love the game and watch on tv,but i won't ever buy a ticket again :(

I just said the same thing to my wife. I'm sure I'll be back at some point, but man is this shit ridiculous. I'm sure that I'm going to skyrocket up the Blackhawks season ticket waiting list.

MayDay10

theyll be back next week and I still think there will be a deal by Christmas.

its a frustrating exercise and it didnt need to be this way. Donald Fehr was completely the wrong play IMO.

Dr. Delight

They have til early January at best. I have zero faith, but maybe theyll get their shit together this time. MAYBE.

DS1119

Board the league up for the year. Throw dirt on the fire. There wont be shit this year. Fuck me who cares

peacefrompaul

DS1119 wrote:

Board the league up for the year. Throw dirt on the fire. There wont be shit this year. Fuck me who cares

I'm tired of it... fuck.

Dr. Delight

BroadStBull RT @reporterchris: Ron Hainsey says the NHL told players last night that bringing Don Fehr back into room was potentially "a deal-breaker."

81

Dr. Delight wrote:

BroadStBull RT @reporterchris: Ron Hainsey says the NHL told players last night that bringing Don Fehr back into room was potentially "a deal-breaker."

#podium

tis a shame they have fucked this up so bad

Indifference71

No one with the last name Fehr should be anywhere near collective bargaining. What a fucking joke this entire thing has become.

MayDay10

After sleeping on it, I still believe we see a deal before Christmas.

A player came out and said they were ready to play Wednesday, but Fehr told them to hang on because he could get more. The player said most players wanted that deal and the lockout is only serving top players like Miller and Richards who are in front of the spotlight making it look like they are sacrificing.