We wrap thing up with Dean talking about the Yankees and “dynasties”…Reggie Jackson and the team concept…the “Rumble in the Jungle”…and his relationship with Darryl Sutter…
JF: You just used the word Yankees and that’s the team you constantly bring up and you’ve probably touched on it in the last answer but are the Yankees the epitome of dynasty or…?
DL: I think what I find fascinating about them…I think everybody wants to talk about, ‘oh you know this team doesn’t that have much money and look what they’re doing’. And that’s great, but I remember telling this to Kenny Holland five, six years ago and you know before when there was no cap, and I remember seeing how he was going to meetings when his team was in the third round and things and I tell him ‘you know what, I’ve got so much respect for’…because people back then were like oh look how much money the Red Wings spent…BULL…I think the hardest management job in all of sports is the New York Yankees because you’re expected to win and it’s a heck of a lot easier when it’s ‘okay if we win great, but if we don’t, it’s okay, I have an excuse’. I mean, I don’t care what walk of life you’re in, it’s a lot easier to work when ‘if I fail, I got a fall back’, the Yankees don’t have a fall back, the Red Wings don’t have a fall back…that’s tough and so you see what happens with the Yankees, heck, they’re looking at their record and all the crap they’re taking, it’s incredible and then you look at the playoffs seven years in a row, ‘it ain’t good enough…that’s incredible’. I think that’s what I admire, when you’re expected to win and you find a way to get it done, I find that one of the most fascinating nuances in sport, period. Gretzky had that. They expect a win and then they find a way and I think there’s a difference, I’ve said this before, there’s a difference between a guy who plays “to win” and a guy who “plays to play well”. The guy who plays to win will play well. The guy who plays to play well might not always play well. I think that’s what I admire most…that they have those expectations on them, no fall back, no excuses and they get it done. And then you see those guys and everybody forgets too that when the Yankees were struggling there, it was still those homegrown guys, you’ve heard me talk about guys like Posada (Jorge) or Rivera (Mariano), they came up but it was still built the right way, they don’t win until those guys come through in the system. Now they kept them obviously because they are Yankees but even then they couldn’t go out and buy it so it was another reason I admired them, that those guys came up and they kept them together which is something we tried to do here. If we’re going to bring our guys through the system, let’s run this so we can keep them so they can learn to be like those guys and go through the ups and downs and then learn to expect to win and rise to the occasion.
I mean you saw some of that too and it’s not only the goals and things, was it you or Johnny Stevens (it was both of us) saying against Vancouver, when Mike Richards sent that message-so the athlete sees that but a fan might not see the impact- that’s rising to the occasion and it’s not the big goal but there’s a message sent there that the bench goes (whistles-like the team’s energy is rising) but I think that’s the biggest thing I admire is that when you have expectations on you and you meet them—that’s pretty powerful.
JF: This question is a combination of the last two questions because when I think of the Yankees because of my era growing up, I think of Reggie Jackson. He’s was the ‘straw that stirred the drink’, he’s the “individual” but was it the Yankees system and structure that taught him to learn how to win?
DL: Although remember he won in Oakland. Baseball is a “team game played by individuals”, it’s probably the least team game of all but you can still see the Giants—that’s clearly chemistry and I was up there too because I’m close with Ned (Coletti) and you could see it, the Giants have “it.” So clearly chemistry, for those who want to say it’s just a bunch of individuals, the San Francisco Giants are clearly an example and the Dodgers conversely with all the stars didn’t have time to be a team so to say it’s just individual, no that’s not accurate.
I think “what maybe neutralized things”, was that Thurman Munson was there and they obviously battled and things like that but he was one of the greatest leaders, of the Yankee leaders…but don’t forget Reggie won in Oakland too and give him credit, you talk about “rising to the occasion”. You bring up an issue here, I think when we grew up, we didn’t necessarily like the Muhammad Ali stuff, I’m older then you…but when Mohammad Ali started doing that, but he was the first one…but he backed it up. But even then, backing it up was still not the way of the athlete because…if you think of the athletes back then…it was Jim Brown or whatever…the great player Bob Cousy, Jerry West…it was not bravado and that wasn’t the way you conducted yourself…it respect for the opposition…so here comes Muhammad Ali, talking how great he is and then goes and backs it up…OK. So now we accept that and now has it blossomed to where you’ve got bravado but you’re not backing it up and it “still sells”. I’m thinking of the wide receivers…remember those guys with the Bengals that tried that whole thing it was like “the show went before backing it up”…so if you look at Reggie, you can never say this guy didn’t rise to the occasion and then he had his Muhammad Ali thing so do we have to accept that today? Today it’s gone too far where now you don’t have to back it up and it’s okay…I’m not sure.
JF: Would you say or agree with…both Jackson and Ali “went in to win” and not “to play great”?
DL: No question.
JF: Look at Ali against Foreman. Foreman was by far the favorite. He (Ali) did a lot of the stuff here (pointing to my head) to mentally find a way to win because maybe he felt he didn’t have the power, the endurance anymore but he found a way?
DL: And was he doing it to get into the other guy’s head maybe…I guess that was the birth of trash talking and it can get to guys, but we’re getting into a whole new area…it’s fascinating.
JF: Last question here, it may seem simple as we sit here…but…why was Darryl Sutter the perfect choice for the Kings? Did you ever say to yourself in January, February, March… I know we’ve got a good team here…but we’re not clicking as much as we thought we would, and I know Darryl can push the right buttons?
DL: Yeah…if you’re asking if there’s any question that he was the guy I wanted to bring in…No, there was no question…I mean I’ve got to be honest with you, when he was in Calgary, I always thought and we used to kid, we are going to be together again and we both got fired in San Jose and went our separate ways. It was an emotional time, he was the first one I called when I fired and he was already in Calgary. We said ‘we’ll be together again, we’ll get another kick at this’ and then when we were…I always had in the back of my mind, when Bryan Murray always said, whenever you’re a coach, you never stop coaching even if you get pushed upstairs and I could definitely see that in Darryl. Darryl is that guy right there (pointing to a picture of Stonewall Jackson that Dean has hanging up in his office)…like Stonewall Jackson, he has to be in the thick of it. What he did in Calgary as a general manager people forget, that place was empty, and what he did there, some of the deals he made and talk about instilling a “culture” in a place in a hurry as a general manager and a coach, is off the charts, they only want to remember the last couple of years. But his makeup, even as a player he was captain. You know all the stories from the guys that played with him there (Chicago Blackhawks), with his shoulder falling off, you talk about a captain. So when the time came to have to make a change, fortunately he was there. I certainly have documented how much I think of what Terry Murray did for stabilizing this place and that wasn’t a thing (firing Terry Murray) I enjoyed doing, but if I had to do it, he (Darryl Sutter) was clearly my guy. There’s so many things I could say about him, it still comes down to what type of man he is, he is very much a player’s coach…this business of him being?…he’s tough on his players but don’t dare say something about him. The texts I got when I hired him, I’m getting criticized in the media but every text I got from his former players, they said, ‘great guy, I would play for him in a second’. ‘I’ll ride with Jackson anywhere, I’ll ride through hell’…I mean that’s the kind of approach I got, very much with Lee’s relationship with Jackson…‘Just go, what do you need’…a natural leader, all about team, very much a player’s coach and I think “totally honest”. The other thing too is and even better now, when I sit with him and he was a pretty brilliant hockey man before, and at times he frustrates me because I’ve got to look at the film five times to find “it” and Darryl’s like that guy from A Beautiful Mind that looks at it and says ‘oh yeah that’s it’. In typical Western Canadian, two sentences and then walks out and I’m sitting there stunned, his hockey mind is off the charts. The things he sees and comes up with, I’m going man, why didn’t I see that, but that’s why he’s in the front line like Jackson was. ‘How many supplies you need? What do you need? Okay, here you go. Call me if you need me’. That’s exactly what Lee, when he lost Jackson, that killed him more than Gettysburg. It’s true. Obviously it’s simplistic but that was as devastating to him as Gettysburg. He even looks like Darryl a little (pointing at the picture of Jackson once again).
Great stuff Jim.
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thanks, JIM, for doing the interview…great job…:)
dl obviously has tremendous knowledge of military history and uses it every time he gets the chance…like you, JIM, i always think of reggie jackson anytime the yankees are mentioned…my father was a big fan of his…jackson had the ego, ability and charisma that you needed to be a big star in new york in the late 70′s…i also remember crying my eyes out when thurman munson died in the plane crash…that was a really hard one to take…
dl is also on point when speaking about ali vs. foreman…ali’s psychological game was as important as his physicality…
dl sure can drop names, huh…?!
hehe…well i guess whatever works in getting across his message…
dl loves leaders and strategists, clearly…and he has proven that he has an eye for finding leaders…sure, not every free agent signing has worked during his tenure – there have been some missteps…however, like reggie, like ali, like stonewall jackson, dl rose to the occasion last season, boldly making tough decisions…this time, everything fell into place and the puzzle was solved…
i think it would have been interesting to hear how dl plans on handling the team if and when the lockout ends…if there’s no season, does it significantly alter his long-term plans/”boxes”…?
i know you could have spoke to dl for hours since he’s so loquacious and loves to breakdown and share his reasoning on almost every single decision he has made…RICH always had a good time with the amount of time it takes dl to answer questions…i’m glad he showed the same comfort level with you…
hopefully, we can start talking about how the kings will approach defending their title sooner than later…
JIM…
since many of us on here have shared our opinions on the lockout, if you have the time and are allowed to, what are yr current feelings about what’s transpiring and where the league is heading…
thanks again for all yr efforts in providing quality content on this blog during these trying times…:)
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variable Reply:
November 12th, 2012 at 4:32 pm
@variable,
i forgot to realize, JIM, that yr probably precluded to comment publicly as a employee of the kings on the lockout…
im sure you would have lots to say otherwise….
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talks are getting worse……
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variable Reply:
November 11th, 2012 at 5:01 pm
@Neil,
yeah…today was not a good sign…meeting less than an hour…
our very own kevin westgarth seems to be an very integral person for the NHLPA…
ivy league brains, iron league fists – not a bad combo…(!)
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Wow I didn’t know Neil was Jim Fox!
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Neil Reply:
November 11th, 2012 at 3:20 pm
@Golfnut, LOL!!!!
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Thanks for the article Jim!
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MUST READ…(!)
the great bob mckenzie writing a brilliant column today…it’s long and involving lots of info, but he breaks it down so clearly and objectively…bravo…(!)
http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=409277
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Shotongoal Reply:
November 11th, 2012 at 6:32 pm
@variable, yes a great article! Too bad it can’t help either side or both sides fix their differences. This season is closer and closer to being over. Just ridiculous!
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LA_1968 Reply:
November 12th, 2012 at 7:05 pm
@Shotongoal, I miss hockey. I try not to think about this problem but it’s getting very late. The way things are headed, if there is a season, the Kings’ Champion reigning season will be shorter than Black History month on a non leap year.
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Token Reply:
November 11th, 2012 at 7:42 pm
@variable, He misses one very big point. The PA is hell bent on getting guaranteed payroll with built in 1.75% growth year to year then they want all the growth money on top of that. That is a game changer for the negotiations and he mentioned it casually as a side point.
Fehr’s cat is finnaly out of the bag: Guaranteed payroll with guaranteed growth on top of guaranteed contracts.
Ain’t gonna happen. No way the league de-couples all risk from the PA on payroll.
This season is done. When 400M of contracts come off the books in July with the UFA class of 13 we will see who blinks first.
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Shotongoal Reply:
November 11th, 2012 at 8:42 pm
@Token, I’m not blaming one side more than the other, but I will say that Fehr’s track record is to destroy the “League’s”(owners) way of doing business, to come in and dictate how the league is going to “treat” it’s players and how the league itself is going to spend it’s money (see MLB). It appears that these negos are no different and history is indeed repeating itself where Fehr, and Bettman are involved. I think it says a lot, or for that matter little about the NHL not being able to accomplish what much more popular sports (MLB, NFL, NBA) have been able to accomplish in recent contentious labor times. Of course, the common denominator in past failed sports labor negos is Fehr and Bettman!
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variable Reply:
November 11th, 2012 at 8:46 pm
@Token,
unfortunately, as bob points out numerous times, the game of chicken both parties are playing can only make things worse with each passing day…loss of games…loss of revenue…loss of fans…
as far as him missing the 1.75% growth, coupled with the 5% “projected” yearly league revenue growth, i don’t think he does with…:
“The funny thing is you could, sort of, make a numerical case that the two sides really aren’t that far apart. I mean, the NHL (albeit with the inclusion of short-term deferrals of Make Whole) are prepared to give the players $1.883B in Year 1 of the deal. The NHLPA’s latest proposal to the league was to take last season’s $1.883B and step it up annually with a compounding rate of 1.75 per cent. In other words, in Year 1 of the players’ proposal, the players are seeking a guarantee of $1.916B or about $33 million more than what the league is prepared to pay.”
i think he summed that portion up well enough…remember, if there’s no season or a distinctively shortened season, all the revenue projections hypothesized previously (or even currently) by both parties are moot, because a year’s revenue is lost…you have to start again with a whole new module/concept…
and that’s the moral of bob’s point…:
for the sake of saving the game from future PR campaigns/mistakes/social media wars, etc. by either side that will only further the disenchantment amongst fans and keep the polarization as the focus, they better agree on just common economic principles before they can even start to draft any agreement…and that’s where we find the great divide – there’s just a philosophical difference from both parties as to how to “make whole” a 50/50 split..and with two indignant leaders miles apart (?) in approach, how will they ever come to an agreement…?
the compromise could be the league agreeing to pay the players in full this season IF they can get a season on the ice and the NHLPA giving in a bit by continuing the current escrow system…
if that were to happen, the players get the immediate money they want while insuring…or provide the majority of the funding for…the escrow system the owners currently have in place to offset p&l….
in essence, if you do the math, like bob has, one side could argue (the nhl) that they are “only” squabbling over about $33 million dollars in year 1…where the other (the NHLPA) sees it as surrendering another $180+ million in earnings, when they feel they have already given up millions and millions of dollars in previous agreements when they heeded the apocalyptic cries from the owners “the CBA must be redone” every time it expires…
i think it’s time for a third-party to intervene and help both sides bridge the gap…
although i sympathize 100% with the players and back them in this dispute, it might be time for fehr and the NHLPA to bite their respective tongues and make a deal that they can live with instead of what that want
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variable Reply:
November 11th, 2012 at 8:54 pm
@variable,
sorry…ït should read…:
“although i sympathize 100% with the players and back them in this dispute, it might be time for fehr and the NHLPA to bite their respective tongues and make a deal that they can live with instead of what THEY want…”
Token Reply:
November 12th, 2012 at 7:37 am
@variable, Exactly my point. Bobby Mac casually mentions the PA wants guaranteed payroll and then he trivializes it down to 33 million when it is not. No one knows that number until a full season is played an paid.
If the next full season is played out and the HHR goes down to $3B, the players would still want $1.9B.
That is an Epic request. Totally changes the rules. This essentially breaks the cap system.
Fehr has succeeded in deluding the public by saying the PA just wants the existing contracts honored. Total crap now that we have the real motive behind this whole mess. Guaranteed growing payroll.
If it really was over $33M this would have been resolved in October when a 82 game schedule was on the line. It is not about that number, it is way bigger than that. If Fehr just wanted contracts honored, he could have countered 54/46 first year, 50/50 remaining years and it would be done. He doesn’t and he didn’t.
Lake Forest Reply:
November 11th, 2012 at 8:50 pm
@variable, Great article! Thank you
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luc20rules Reply:
November 12th, 2012 at 5:27 pm
@variable, Nice article. I wonder if they will get an abitrator or when as they don’t seem to even be negotiating properly. Taking 1 issue at a time doesn’t seem to be a rational way to do things. Anytime I court a girl friend I pretty much make every concession for the first few months. Once I think she is into the relationship as much as me. While is still do all the chivalric things, but when scheduling things its a give and take. Simply since I have a very busy schedule I list things that would be important to me, and she would list all things important to her. Then one at a time we get a combined schedule organized. Last minute stuff is well somewhat optional based on importance.
It seems like the CBA negotiations are handling one thing at a time. Instead of I will give up here, but only if you give me this here. No what if I give this, or this other thing and that. That is negotiation. The trading offers thing is just really a very slow and early stage type thing. I find it very hard to believe they are still doing it this late in negotiations in fact I was a bit surprised they were still doing it in Sept.
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Dear Mr. Bettman and Mr. Fehr: I have loved hockey since childhood, and have been a fan and season ticket holder of the Los Angeles Kings for many years. This past season was incredibly fulfilling for me and the thousands of other Kings fans. Seeing Dustin Brown lift the Stanley Cup was the memory of a lifetime.
With last year now behind us, I have been anxiously awaiting the start of this season. Like many Kings fans, I have looked forward to the start of this season like none before it. I must tell you, though, that the antics of both of your organizations have left me feeling disenchanted and disinterested in hockey. At this point, I do not know or care which of your organizations should take greater responsibility for this endless cycle of destroying fan enthusiasm. Your endless bickering is denying paychecks to the thousands of people who work at arenas and surrounding businesses who depend on the millionaires and billionaires you work for to find a way, some way, to settle their differences. You are a disgrace to the game of hockey. I do not know whether my love for the game or the team I root for can be repaired, and I am beginning to wonder if I want it to be. Slowly but surely, you are losing my respect, and with it my support. I am sure I speak for thousands more. If you don’t care about us – or thousands who rely on you for your livelihood – it may be time for us to stop caring about you. Think about it, then get off your fat a$$es and get something done!
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Neil Reply:
November 11th, 2012 at 8:47 pm
@rick, both sides talk about growth..well they better talk about the opposite…buisnes will go DOWN !!!! I will not spend any money this season or when ever the next one is…
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DesertKing Reply:
November 11th, 2012 at 9:34 pm
@rick,
+1
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lukedad Reply:
November 12th, 2012 at 12:17 pm
@DesertKing,
I agree with rick, I have been a long time kings fan and I thought nothing could break my love if the game or the team. Although I still have a great love for the game my interest in the nhl and the players is dwindling. Life goes on without hockey and the more stuff I find to fill that void the less I care about who id right or wrong in this argument. If I wanted to watch a sport where the money speaks louder than the love of the sport I would watch the nfl or nba, instead I hope I can catch some college or junior hockey where money is not an issue. I have lost my remaining thread of respect for the nhl and its players, I hope I speak for more than myself. At least the last game I watched was the greatest game I’ll probably ever see, goodbye kings.
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Every time I read an article or listen to an interview with Dean, I am just blown away by how much I learn from him and how to apply it in my life. Thanks Jim for the great interview!
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Regarding the CBA negotiations and the article that @variable linked to, I still beilieve that we’d have a season if the owners hadn’t low balled the PA in their first offer. It’s amazing how much they’ve come up from their first offer of 43%. Now with the make whole provision they’re essentially at 54.3% for year 1, 51.7% for year 2, and 50% for the rest of the deal. If those numbers sound familiar to you, they just so happen to be the same numbers that the PA offered in their 2nd offer. The only problem is that since the Owners waited so long to make these concessions, the 54% is from a much smaller piece of the pie.
I’ve been on the PA side this whole time, and I still am, but there comes a time where the individual players need to ask themselves if they truly believe that the owners will budge more than they already have. Since both sides have agreed to a 50-50 split in revenues for years 3-5, there’s no point in trying to make a point in order to not look like you got runover in the new CBA. They’re going to lose either way. There comes a point of diminishing returns, and we’re there already.
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goldielocks Reply:
November 12th, 2012 at 12:35 pm
@CB14,
Players: If only NHL made the better offer in the first place … blah blah blah.
Owners: If only PA started the negotiation earlier than after the playoffs … blah blah blah.
Both sides need to move on. So do we.
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Come on already, get this season going! Bob ain’t getting any younger…for that matter, neither am I! LOL
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Here’s the article Crosby talking about CBA negotiation.
http://plus.sites.post-gazette.com/index.php/pro-sports/penguins-plus/118831-crosby-frustrated
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Steve Fehr says the NHLPA is open to mediation. “My impression is the league isn’t terribly interested it.”
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There’s a chance….
There is no chance…..
There’s a chance….
There is no chance…..
There’s a chance….
There is no chance…..
There’s a chance….
There is no chance…..
There’s a chance….
There is no chance…..
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goldielocks Reply:
November 12th, 2012 at 2:03 pm
@Lake Forest,
More on Steve Fehr. “One thing Bill Daly and I agree on. … When the moment is right … deal will be done very quickly.”
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HockeyNerd Reply:
November 12th, 2012 at 2:08 pm
@goldielocks, The moment “has been right” since June 11th.
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Jon G Reply:
November 12th, 2012 at 6:36 pm
@Lake Forest, You’re absolutely right!
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Once again, little to no mention of who is getting hurt by this the most.
No, I don’t mean the owners.
No, I don’t mean the players.
No, I don’t mean the fans. (We don’t LIKE not having hockey but we’ll live).
It’s the people with jobs who make a living BECAUSE hockey being played and get paid ONLY if it is paid. The vendors. The parking attendants. The guys who take the tickets at the entrance. The guys who work in the box office. The goal judges. And on and on and on. The little guys that DON’T get $500,000 salaries, in fact probably just a cut above minimum wage at best. And now they are collecting unemployment checks and/or looking for jobs in an already crowded market.
And nobody cares.
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A Cup B4 I Died! Reply:
November 12th, 2012 at 2:51 pm
@HockeyNerd,
Totally agree…also add the local restaurant and bars that surround the NHL arenas. At least the establishments around Staples have the Lakers, Clippers, and many concerts to draw from. Restaurants+Bars that operate in NHL cities like San Jose, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, etc etc, that don’t have NBA franchies, suffer the most. So many jobs on the line.
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variable Reply:
November 12th, 2012 at 4:30 pm
@HockeyNerd,
so true…
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luc20rules Reply:
November 12th, 2012 at 4:31 pm
@HockeyNerd, +1, Where is there make whole provision for a full 82 game schedule. There collective pay would probably amount to less that what Ovie would have been paid.
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luc20rules Reply:
November 12th, 2012 at 4:34 pm
@luc20rules, Make whole provision for the Concession & other stadium workers. Just to be clear.
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rick Reply:
November 12th, 2012 at 11:20 pm
@HockeyNerd, You hit the nail on the head. Fabulously wealthy owners and wealthy-by-any- measure players cannot figure out how to split hundreds of millions of dollars, and people making minimum wage pay the price. It is Washington DC gridlock played out on ice. Disgusting. If I had the courage to back up my convictions, my 15 straight years as a season ticket holder would end immediately. As it is, the only thing keeping me “in the game” is the fact that my beloved Kings have finally built a champion. Even that is starting to feel cheap and tawdry compared to the gross insult being dumped on fans, and the gross injustice affecting thousands of low paid workers around the country who rely on the NHL Sorry for all the anger, but this is a disgrace…
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We must be getting near the end or Russia and OHL (?) are playing for the Stanley Cup. The Hockey Network is out of material. Now I can start watching the Yorkshire Terrier Channel. Those dogs sure are cute.
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variable Reply:
November 12th, 2012 at 4:26 pm
@DesertKing,
the NHL Network has turned into an ESPN Classic-type channel…
you can get more info on the lockout from ESPN…which is about .003% of their news content…than you can from the league’s very own network…
oh…that bettman…(!)
John Saunders on ESPN’s show, the sports reporters, proposed the idea over the weekend of having an election every few years, like the presidency, to determine who the league’s commish should be…
wouldn’t that be cool…?!
it’s beyond time that guys like stern and bettman are held to some sort of “fan standard” than just the approval of the owners….it’s a completely radical idea – and I kind if like it…(!)
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variable Reply:
November 12th, 2012 at 4:29 pm
@variable,
damn phone…
“…and i kind OF like it…(!)”…
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luc20rules Reply:
November 13th, 2012 at 1:22 am
@variable, The people at the NHL Network are NHL employees so they can’t talk about the CBA, or interview players for that matter, right Rich. Too soon? My Bad!
Are you surprised it only shows NHL Classic Games.
Bad policy to cover up bad behavior, thanks Bettman.
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variable Reply:
November 13th, 2012 at 1:14 pm
@luc20rules,
i know that…
but the mere fact everyone is on lock-down is just ridiculous…
talk about yr pink elephants…(!)
Sebastian Reply:
November 13th, 2012 at 10:05 am
@DesertKing, why are you guys still paying for NHL network? I called to cancel my sports package the day the lock-out started. Been saving $8 per month…woooo!
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luc20rules Reply:
November 13th, 2012 at 12:34 pm
@Sebastian, Saved a penny. While the NHL is the best sport in the world its not the only one.
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First and foremost, thank you to all the veterans that visit this site and may read this. My dad who passed 3 years ago served in Vietnam and my thoughts, prayers, and well wishes are extended to all of you that served our country. On my dads behalf, Semper Fi! In his honor I’m partaking in his two favorite pastimes, watching hockey and drinking beers! Actually watching the parade and rally right now that still lives on my DVR. Hope the boys get back on the ice soon…Go Kings Go!!!
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Hey, how come Hammond never put up cool pictures and made the blog all exiting? Fire Hammond! Foxy Forever! Seriously, lets get Jim permanent, he rocks!
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Finally, someone who has a common sense has spoken up.
Mark Recchi believes, for players to finalize deal and get back to work. ‘No matter what the contract, the owners always find a way to pay them more. That’s why I say, get a deal and get back in there.’ Recchi feels if Kelly had remained union boss, bargaining would have begun long ago, lockout avoided. Kelly’s ouster a ‘dark time’ for NHLPA.
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Hey Garrrrryyyyyy! Guess what IIIIIII got? Tickets to the Rrrrrrrraaaaaaidersss! And it is all because of you! No driving to LA for HockeyFest – money saved. No driving to Vegas or tickets or hotel room for FF – money saved. No driving 2 hours to the Kings games then back home – money saved. No money for parking – money saved. No purchasing shirts, hats or other Stanley Cup Kings items – money saved. No (gulp) nachos – money saved. All of this money saved = 2 tickets to the Raiders game, two round trip plane tickets and even some left over for Raiders nachos in Oak-town! And all of this equals NO MONEY FOR THE NHL!yay.
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Sebastian Reply:
November 13th, 2012 at 10:01 am
@DesertKing, Haha, Awesome! dont let anyone get in the way of a man and his nachos!
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At this point only 3 items remain.
1. Since HRR will be split 50/50 the funding and guarantees from NHL to pay players and the $ amount to be fixed or calculated with # of years that will be provided.
2. UFA at age 27 or 7 pro years. The NHL wants to add 1 year so UFA status at 28 or 8 pro years.
3. Contract year limit and/or 5% limit to change from contract salary year to year. Is the term limit really necessary if the 5% limit to change from contract salary year ot year is accepted. This is just the way to stop Salary Cap Curcumvention.
Each side should just write a value that each item has say 100pts. Example say the NHL rates #1 – 20pts, #2 – 50pts, #3 – 30pts, and NHLPA #1 -70pts, #2 – 28 pts, #3 – 2pts.
Then its pretty obvious NHLPA should trade #1 to a specific level to the NHL for items #2 & #3.
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luc20rules Reply:
November 13th, 2012 at 12:29 pm
@luc20rules, Edits, 1. Make whole provision is the guarantee to players. Those #s & years to reach current 57% rate.
Also if the NHL or NHLPA refuses to settle on the 2 & 3 items. #2 could be grandfalthered in so only players drafted after 2013 would be under that rule.
Also more practical would likely be to bring in an arbitrator to splite the remaining issues and send them to a direct vote of the Union and owners.
NHLPA could also put a %HRR tag on each item to reshift the 50/50 settlement.
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luc20rules Reply:
November 13th, 2012 at 8:00 pm
@luc20rules, Last years 57% rate at last years HRR.
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I really like that picture of Richards, Stevens, Carter and the Cup. Big middle finger to the Flyers organization.
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