I have spent my summer relatively offline for the most part. I would check my twitter or facebook feed for tidbits of info, and I would check in occasionally to check on the lack of progress with the current CBA talks.
From what I can determine, the major sticking point with the PA and the NHL is the revenue sharing. Now, I am going to go off on a tear here, and I personally don't care if you are offended or upset with my perspective. I am putting it out there for you, and if it causes discussion, then I have done my job.
This whole debacle kind of hits close to home for me. The Premier of Ontario, Dalton McGuinty, has introduced legislation to force all education workers back to work for the start of the school year. However, my union has never stated that we will strike and have said nothing that would imply the school year would not start on schedule. We have even cancelled our strike vote. As a result, our contract is just going to roll over, without scheduled raises or improvements. We are going to continue working until a new contract is in place.
And then we have the NHLPA. They want more money. Valid argument if they were being grossly underpaid. However, if you cannot support yourself on $575,000 a year, which is what I believe the league minimum is, then you have some problems. I make it work for me, and I earn much, much less. If the NHLPA does not like the idea of employer and employee, then maybe they should go back to school, further their education and start their own business. The owners want to make their money, and the NHLPA want theirs as well.
I went to school. I found a career which I truly enjoy. I pay to play hockey a couple of times a week. Yes, even during the summer here in Thunder Bay. I love hockey. However, all of this is starting to leave a shitty taste in my mouth.
We are hearing the arguments coming from the players; they want a cut of the money off of the game that was made on their backs. Well, there came a time in life when they had to make a decision; try to make a career out of this hockey thing or get a real job. They chose hockey. Granted, I'm glad they did, because I truly enjoy watching it. When is the greed going to stop. The owners are the employers, and the NHLPA are the employees. Get used to it.
Another argument from the players is the fact that they beat up their bodies. True, hockey is very rough sport and the potential for injury is there. What would happen to someone like me if I was hurt playing the game I love? First of all, I would not be paid for the days I miss from work. I enjoy the game, so I take the risk. The players take the same risk. For those of you that know me, I am also in the Canadian military and have spent some time overseas. I knew the risks, I chose to go. Did I sit there and try to get more money because there is a chance I may get injured? I'm pretty sure the risk of injury for those members of our respective forces that serve overseas are drastically different than what a hockey player may encounter.
And so now, the negotiations have stalled. They are being recessed temporarily. I guess meeting 3 times a week for 45 minutes at a time is a trying process. And you have players calling the latest owners offer "a pig in lipstick." You are not endearing yourself to the fans or to the owners at this time by resorting to insults.
And Bettman, fuck you. You arrogant, little wormy piece of shit. You are a classless douche. Coming out and stating the the NHL will be okay because you have the worlds best fans is a fucking insult. By no means am I a fucking doormat. You can only piss on my back so many times and tell me it's raining.
This is one fucking fan that may not come back to your game you greedy, selfish sons of bitches.
I blasted Boston Bruins goalie Tim Thomas pretty hard last season when he refused to visit the White House with his teammates...Sure, it's his right, but in my opinion, you respect the office, even if you don't agree with the guy in the office at the time...Even worse, Thomas said it had "nothing to do with politics," then proceeded to list some of his opposing political views...So yeah, he's a fucking dope...
Then after this past season...Just a couple of years after signing a huge, long-term deal with the Bruins, he said he was taking a year off...He's tired, and he needs to focus on his family...DICK Move in my book! Now, I wish Thomas would take a year off of talking, and using Facebook...
There has been a little storm brewing in Boston, since the city's mayor, old Thomas, Moosh Mouth Menino wrote a letter to Chick-Fil-A saying, “There is no place for discrimination on Boston’s Freedom Trail and no place for your company alongside it.” (Kinda funny since Boston has always had rep for being pretty racist.)
Why's Menino do this...Because Chick-Fil-A wants to open up shop there, but their owner is a very religious, narrow-minded, douche who has some very strong anti-gay marriage views...Okay, he's probably got strong anti-gay everything views...
So Tim Thomas, who has pissed off the people of Boston pretty good, thought it would be smart to say this on Facebook...“I stand with Chick-Fil-A. Chick-Fil-A is privately owned by the Cathy family. The company president, Dan Cathy, drew the wrath of gay rights advocates and supporters when he made recent statements that some have alleged are anti-gay.”
Thomas then went on to quote Cathy who says he supports “the biblical definition of the family unit.” Continuing to use Cathy's words, “I think we are inviting God’s judgment on our nation when we shake our fist at him and say, ‘We know better than you as to what constitutes a marriage.’” Oh, it gets better...
“I pray God’s mercy on our generation that has such a prideful, arrogant attitude to think that we would have the audacity to try to redefine what marriage is all about.”
Clearly my God and their God is not the same dude...These ass-hats make me want to puke in the soup!
It drives me crazy, when hyper-religious dolts pick and choose what they want from the Bible, and believe it to be true, and right...I honestly believe that most of these people haven't even read the entire book...I have, mainly because I like to show how fucked up these people are...Cathy, and Thomas believe God doesn't want gay couple to get married...Well I'll take just one story from the Book of Genesis...How about that wacky guy Lot...
I want Dan Cathy and Tim Thomas to explain to me why it was okay for Lot to offer up his two daughters to be raped by a crowd of men? Yes, Lot was trying to protect the Angels that these horny guys wanted to rape...But you know what, I'm not handing over my daughters to rapists for anyone..Angels or not...And does this mean God is pro-rape? or at least in the case of stopping angel rape?
Oh, but this shit isn't done...When God sends Lot and his family away from Sodom, shit gets real down and dirty...First Lot's old lady broke one of God's rules, and looked back at Sodom...So, the very forgiving Lord, turned her into a pillar of salt...I wonder if she was Kosher Salt, or Sea Salt, or Iodized?
After that, Lot's daughter's get him drunk, and fuck him...Two nights in row...So guys, does this mean God is down with incest? Well? Answer me!
Maybe Dan Cathy, and Tim Thomas should take another look at "The Good Book"...It may not be as sexy as "50 Shades of Grey" but there's plenty nastiness in the Bible for these closet cases!
I wish God would turn these guys into pillars of salt!
Cathy, and Thomas should shut the fuck up, stick to what they know...Chicken sandwiches, and blocking pucks...Fucking dolts!
The state of Minnesota has always prided itself on it's love of hockey...Their ability to play hockey...And the number of Minnesotans playing, and that have played in the NHL and Olympics...And now their team, the Minnesota Wild have taken a major step forward in trying to prove they are the State of Hockey, signing the two most coveted free agents on the market this year...Minnesota native, and former New Jersey Devil Left Wing, Zach Parise (27), and Wisconsin native, and former Nashville Predator Defenseman, Ryan Suter (27)...
Both had seen a number of offers from many teams...They had also kept in touch with each other through the process...Having know each other well over the years, they had talked about how great it would be to play together...But it wasn't until late Tuesday night that they found out that the possibility had a chance of becoming a reality...And going home, was something Parise just couldn't pass up on...
Wednesday they both signed deals for 13 years, both amounting to $98 million...Holy shit! That's good money...Holy shit, that's a lot years...But give the Wild credit for having the courage to go after two top of the line guys, knowing they would have to cough up big bucks...The Wild have a good young group of players, that will greatly benefit from having Parise's leadership on and off the ice...Suter gives them a legit quarterback for their power play, along with being a top-2 d-man...
Suddenly the Wild's offensive production looks better, just by plugging these guys in...Adding Suter's passing skills from the blue line, and Parise to forwards that include, Mikko Koivu, Dany Heatley, Devin Setoguchi, Cal Clutterbuck, and Matt Cullen, will keep opposing teams on their toes...
I love this move for Minnesota...I love it for Hockey...The western Conference just got more competitive...
I was sitting here getting ready to watch the Tigers and Rangers play, I stumbled across the blog by fellow Wings fan AVD. I wanted to tip my hat first, because this was a great blog with some great points about Joe Sakic. However, this is the reason why the Wings won 4 Cups, without these guys they would not have had the success they have had.
Draper, Maltby, McCarty and Kocur were the antagonists. Sure they scored goals from time to time, but they killed penalties, caused penalties by irritating the hell out of their opponents and even fought the opposing teams enforcers to make things right. Do the Wings win those Cups without them, I highly doubt it because those guys were leaders and understood what sacrifices it took to win. Should they be in the HOF, no but in my mind they should not be forgotten for their contributions in the success of the Red Wings over the past 20 years.......
I thought I would bring back a few memories from the 97 season, this one is for AVD......
Unfortunately for Drapes, this will be the hit that he will be remembered for.
So if they consider Sakic a great player in the line of Stevie Y, what about the role players that contributed to the success the AVS had, should they be in the HOF next to him? Without the 4 players I mentioned, the Wings would not have been as successful as they had been.......
Yeah, there's Daniel Sedin laying in a heap after Chicago defenseman Duncan Keith leveled him with a dirty, dirty, cheap-shot...And the NHL came down and hit Keith with a five game suspension...I have no problem with this...
But I do have a problem with the NHL not suspending Sedin...You may be asking, why should they suspend a guy who just got his head taken off? Because Sedin, brought this on himself...Keith laid him out because earlier in the game, Sedin took a run at Keith's head, and the NHL has made it clear, that head shots are a big no-no!
Don Cherry addressed this tonight on "The Coach's Corner" At 2 minutes and 50 seconds they get into this incident...
Now, why hasn't the NHL popped Sedin for a couple games...I don't care that he's injured, he broke the damn rules, and Brendan Shannahan, and the NHL have been popping guys all year long for head shots...Sedin needs to get popped too!
Normally in Hockey a guy wouldn't just go cheap-shotting another guy, but instead, he'd drop the gloves with him, and throw...But Daniel Sedin made it clear last year in the Stanley Cup Finals, that he's a total pussy, who just won't drop the gloves...
What bitch!
Keith's shot on Sedin, was bad, and dirty, and the league ruled in a similar way that they have ruled on stuff like this all year...But they need to stay consistent, and and hit Sedin for his head shot as well...And Don Cherry is right...If Sedin isn't going to mix it up, he better not go looking for trouble like this...
