Looks like the end of the niceties in the CBA negotiations

Last night, I was out of town at the races in Fargo and during a rain delay I decided to check my twitter feed when I saw these tweets make it’s way across my twitter feed on numerous posts.

Bettman: “still a wide gap between us with not much time to go”

Bettman says after analyzing PA’s proposal the NHL owners understand it “but there is still a wide gap between us with not much time to go.”

Bettman: wide gap remains. In other words, lockout all but certain. No meetings until next Wednesday.

The message is clear that the owners really don’t plan on budging very much on their first proposal and this doesn’t really look like a partnership anymore. Any way you look at this – the players are going to be the losers in the CBA negotiations. It looks more like a shakedown than a negotiation.

Here is a break down on how far apart the two sides are – from TSN

Current system@

Salary cap: $70.2 million

Salary floor: $54.2 million

NHL's proposal@

Salary cap: $55.3 million

Salary floor: $39.3 million

NHLPA's proposal@

Salary cap: $69 million

Salary floor: $53 million

70.2 – 55.3 = 14.9 is a very big gap between the two sides. I am not very optimistic anymore that the two sides can avoid a work stoppage. It doesn’t appear that the owners are going to move off of their stance and I stand by my statement that the owners appear that they want to weaken the players union even further.

Does the OHL commissioner lack transparency?

Last week we found out that the OHL had put the hammer down on the Windsor Spitfires of the OHL – going forward fans were interesting in knowing who were the players that were involved in the Spitfires recruiting and benefits scandal. This is does not seem to be an unreasonable request.

Ontario Hockey League commissioner Dave Branch has said that he isn't going to release the names of the players that were invovled in the scandal.

Apparently, there are a lot of unhappy people to include people in the media – it seems as if Ontario Hockey League commissioner lack of transparency isn’t sitting well with the Media and OHL fans bases.

Bob Duff, The Windsor Star --- This is the plan that Ontario Hockey League commissioner Dave Branch has opted to follow since he revealed Friday that the Windsor Spitfires would be fined $400,000 and docked five draft picks for violating the league's recruitment and benefits policy.

For good or bad, this could prove to be Branch's defining moment in a long and storied career as the man in charge of the OHL.

"To hand out that kind of punishment, you would hope that he must have some pretty rock-solid evidence," suggested one OHL executive, who wisely didn't want to be named.

If Branch doesn't, then all those pro-Spitfires conspiracy theorists who insist Branch is just out to get their favourite team might actually have a point.

This is exactly why he needs to spell everything out in intimate detail.

Apparently the OHL Commissioner Dave Branch doesn't plan on giving out any further details on the matter – which will only add fuel to the fire and cause further speculation.

"I'm not going to give any details," Branch said. "It's not about players. It's about the Windsor Spitfires hockey club."

It’s going to be interesting to see if the shoe drops on any other CHL teams or if the Spitfires are the only team that is going to feel the wrath. I also understand why fans would be upset with Branch for not releasing the details of his investigation because lack transparency it does play into the conspiracy theorists hands.

Matteau impresses Devils signs deal

When a loss really isn’t a loss at all – it’s beginning to look like UND hockey team wouldn’t have had Stefan Matteau very long – if at all – even if he had actually honored his original commitment come to UND instead of deciding to go to Blainville-Boisbriand Armada of the QMJHL.

Matteau who was drafted 29th overall in the 2012 NHL Draft by the New Jersey Devils really impressed the New Jersey Devils during their prospect development camp so the Devils signed him to an entry level deal.

Tom Gulitti, Fire and Ice --- “We felt very good about him at the rookie camp and we wanted to get him under contract and just get his professional career started, not with any knowledge of where he’ll be playing yet, but so we have the options of doing whatever we think is necessary,” Devils GM Lou Lamoriello said.

Matteau is slated to play for the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada of the QMJHL in 2012-13, but said at the Devils’ prospect development camp last month that he’ll be aiming to make the NHL roster at training camp in September. His father, former Rangers Stephane Matteau, is an assistant coach for Blainville-Boisbriand.

Lamoriello did not want to discuss the idea of Matteau starting the 2012-13 season in the NHL.

“I don’t even want to talk about that,” he said.

Lamoriello was impressed with what he saw from Matteau at the team’s development camp and said he also played well at the Team USA camp last week.

NHLPA presents their case to the owners

The owners of the National Hockey League made their proposal to the players back on July 13, 2012 and a month and a day later the NHLPA  presented it's level headed and grounded case to the NHL owners. The NHL owners have now said that they are now going to need some time to study the proposal from the NHLPA.

Bettman says "we need time to evaluate" players' proposal. They meet again tomorrow morning after league studies it.

This is what the head of the NHLPA Donald Fehr had to say on their counter proposal according to the Canadian Press and it doesn't look like the NHLPA has put forth a controversial proposal  - it looks pretty grounded to me.

Chris Johnston, The Canadian Press --- "We do believe that the proposal the players made today, once implemented, can produce a stable industry ... that can give us a chance to move beyond the recurring labour strife that has plagued the NHL the last two decades," said Fehr.

By the union's calculations, the deal could see players give up as much as US$465 million in revenue if the league continues to grow at an average rate for the next three seasons.

The proposal includes delinking the salary cap from hockey-related revenue and setting a fixed rate -- increasing by two per cent for the first year, four per cent for the second and six per cent for the third. That would see the salary cap grow to US$78.93 million for the 2014-15 season.

Michael Russo of the Star and Tribune also has a good break down of what the NHLPA's proposal on his blog and you can see that the NHLPA  is trying to focus on revenue sharing. Also, the NHLPA isn't trying to blow up the salary cap and from everything that I have read this afternoon, the hard cap stays in place as well.  Lastly, the message that I am getting from everything that I have read this afternoon, it appears that the NHL Players want to be a partner with the owners and have made some concessions to help the clubs that aren't doing as well as the bigger well off NHL teams.

Michael Russo, Star and Tribune --- The NHLPA also calls for expanded revenue sharing of what Fehr said would be up to $250 million a season. The league proposed $190 million, I’m told by sources, which is up from $170 million in the previous CBA. In the player proposal, I’m told the figure listed is actually $240 million (not 250, like Fehr said in his presser). Whatever: $240 million or $250 million is relatively not a long ways off from $190 million, so that’s pretty negotiable.

The other area where I think the NHL will want to negotiate with the union is in the contractual system. The NHL proposed no salary arbitration, increasing the years of service to become an unrestricted free agent from seven years to 10, raising entry-level contracts from three years to five and going to maximum five-year contracts. The NHLPA proposal offered no modifications, Fehr said. You know the NHL will want to delve into that.

Also, the NHLPA CBA proposal is for three years. The fourth year of the CBA is a player option to revert back to the current, expiring CBA. Zero chance the owners ever agree to that.

It will be interesting to see where this proposal goes - much like the owners proposal it's the first step in the negotiation process.

Are you ready for some football?

I know this isn’t hockey related but it should get you into the mood for the fall... I do think that it’s an exciting time in UND sports as they are now a full member of Division I sports and a member of the Big Sky Conference. The UND football team begins play against the BSC starting on August 30th against South Dakota Mines.

Tuesday at the Links.

I have been perusing the blogs and webpages today for hockey news and it’s really not a light day.

We are all waiting for the NHLPA to make its proposal to the NHL owners.

On a more important note - it’s with a heavy heart that I write this – former UND golfer Scott Eggers lost his battle with a month long illness at Altru Hospital – Eggers was someone that I hung around with back in the 1990’s and early 2000’s.

Scott was one of the funniest people that I have ever had the pleasure to be around he will be missed by many people. Scott was also one of the longest hitters of the golf ball that I have ever seen – he could knock the cover off of the ball. Scott was also the General Manager at the Valley Golf Course and I can imagine that today the place feels a little bit emptier than it did last week.

Here is some news from the lockout about the Winter Classic. Apparently the NHL can cancel the 2013 Winter Classic as late as January 1st, 2013. Let’s hope that is not the case.

Jeff Z. Klein, The Globe and Mail --- The NHL can cancel the 2013 Winter Classic at 115,000-seat Michigan Stadium as late as Jan. 1, the day of the game, because of a work stoppage “arising from the lack of a collective bargaining agreement,” the contract between the league and the University of Michigan shows.

The league would forfeit only $100,000 of its $3-million stadium rental fee, according to the contract. The rest of the fee would be refunded by the university.

The University of Alabama Huntsville has released its hockey schedule for the 2012-13 season and it’s not a pretty sight at all. The Chargers have a grand total of two home game against Division I teams. So after the first of the year, the Chargers have three more series; one series in January, on in February and one series in March.

Remember the offer sheet that the Flyers offered Shea Weber and then the Nashville Predators matched the Flyers offer sheet – both sides have yet to finalize that agreement. The Nashville Predators matched the Flyers gigantic offer sheet of 14 years for $110 million on July 24.

Apparently the NHL favorite mouth piece – NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman is making 7.5 million dollars a year. That’s right – Bettman is making almost as much money as a first line in the NHL.

Buffalo Sabres TV announcer Rick Jeanneret has been was recently inducted into the Buffalo Sabres Hall of Fame but also the Hockey Hall of Fame. Jeaneret is one of the most entertaining TV annoucers in the NHL.

Former Minnesota Wild and current New Yorks Rangers forward Marian Gaborik is progressing in his rehabilitation after he had surgery to repair a torn labrum in his shoulder. Rangers forward was hurting during the first round of the NHL Playoffs.

The Montreal Canadiens have signed forward Max Pacioretty to a six-year contract extension. Pacioretty’s contract is worth US$4.5-million per season.

The hits keep falling for the Philadelphia Flyers as defenseman Andreas Lilja, is the latest from the Flyers to have left hip surgery last month. Lilja will not be back in Flyers line up until late October or early November.

Gone from the Flyers line up – Chris Pronger concussion (career threatening), Matt Carle signed with the Tampa Bay Lightning, Andrej Meszaros surgery for a torn Achilles out for six – eight months. It could be a tough season, if there is one, on the blue line for the Flyers.

UND goalie Aaron Dell agrees to pro contract with ECHL's Colorado Eagles. Aaron Dell leaves UND with some pretty impressive numbers – 3rd in GAA 2.15 – 5th in Save % .912 – 7th in winning % .696.

Here is the 2012-13 WCHA Men’s Composite Schedule [click to view]

Apparently, the New Jersey Devils are still facing money woes…

A couple of UND hockey related things...

First things first, according to Brad E Schlossman of the Grand Forks Herald, has announced on his hockey blog that UND goalie Aaron Dell has signed with Colorado Eagles of the ECHL. Goon's World would like to wish Dell well in the next step of his hockey career.

There is also a big announcement from the UND Radio world today. Below is the official press release from UND on the matter.

UND Athletics, Clear Channel Grand Forks continue partnership

Mutual option exercised for 2012-13 sports season

GRAND FORKS, N.D. – University of North Dakota Director of Athletics Brian Faison announced today that Clear Channel Grand Forks will continue to serve as the flagship station for the UND Sports Radio Network. UND Athletics and Clear Channel have exercised the mutual option year in the original agreement previously announced in 2009.

“Clear Channel Grand Forks has been a tremendous radio partner for UND Athletics and we are excited that we will be able to continue that partnership,” said Faison. “They have been key to our ability to grow the UND Sports Radio Network.”

“Clear Channel Grand Forks is thrilled to continue to have UND sports on the air,” said Clear Channel Grand Forks Market Manager Pat McLean. “It’s been a great partnership, all the way from Division II to the Division I transition, and now we’re excited to be a part of the leap into full Division I competition. We look forward to another great year for UND.”

Clear Channel Grand Forks stations will carry all UND football, men's hockey and men's and women's basketball games – home and away – all home women’s hockey games, select road games and a weekly coaches show.

All football and men's hockey games will be heard on 96.1-FM The Fox, while men's and women's basketball games will air on 100.3-FM Cat Country. Women’s hockey will air on 1440 KXXL-AM The Fan.

The weekly UND Coaches Show, which will air from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. every Wednesday night, will be heard on 1440-AM The Fan. The show will be broadcast live from the Ground Round restaurant in Grand Forks.

There will also be a daily two-minute "UND Sports Update," which will air twice a day beginning Monday, Aug. 13 on The Fan.

Men’s Hockey
Grand Forks KQHT-FM 96.1
Beulah KDKT-AM 1410
Bismarck KFYR-AM 550/KXMR-AM 710
Devils Lake KDVL-FM 102.5
Dickinson KTLC-AM 1390
Fargo WDAY-AM 970
Langdon KNDK-FM 95.7
Mahnomen KRJM-FM 95.7
Minot KRRZ-AM 1390
Valley City/Wimbeldon/Jamestown KRVX-FM 103.1
Warroad KRWB-AM 1410
Williston KDSR-FM 101.1

Women’s Hockey

Grand Forks KXXL-AM 1410

Football

Grand Forks KQHT-FM 96.1
Beulah KDKT-AM 1410
Bismarck KFYR-AM 550/KXMR-AM 710
Devils Lake KDVL-FM 102.5
Dickinson KTLC-AM 1390
Fargo WDAY-AM 970
Langdon KNDK-FM 95.7
Mahnomen KRJM-FM 95.7
Minot KRRZ-AM 1390
Valley City/Wimbeldon/Jamestown KRVX-FM 103.1
Williston KDSR-FM 101.1

Weekly UND Coaches Show

Grand Forks KXXL-AM 1440
Dickinson KTLC-AM 1460
Fargo WDAY-FM 970
Langdon KNDK-FM 95.7
Williston KDSR-FM 101.1

More on the Spitfires and the OHL.

Last Friday, we found out that the OHL has thrown everything but the kitchen sink at the Windsor Spitfires. While the sanctions appear to have been unprecedented the GM of the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds says that the Spitfires will be able to survive their punishment.

Jim Parker, Windsor Star --- One former OHL general manager feels the Spitfires will survive the unprecedented ruling.

“It sets the program back, but they are smart, good hockey guys and will navigate to have a competitive team,” said Dave Torrie, who was general manager of the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds for eight seasons. “Whether they can turn competitive into a championship, that will be the real challenge and it’ll be tough.”

Torrie said the loss of the draft picks, especially the first-round selections, will have an impact on the team’s on-ice product.

“The draft is the No. 1 fundamental way to build a team,” said Torrie, who is now an amateur scout for the Buffalo Sabres. “If you go back to Windsor’s two championships, they were built around two great drafts and to a point built them into an elite program.”

Windsor drafted Greg Nemisz seventh overall in 2006 and Taylor Hall second overall in 2007. Both went on to be first-round NHL picks and those drafts were augmented in later rounds with the addition of Adam Henrique, Mark Cundari, Matt Hackett, Eric Wellwood, Ryan Ellis, Jesse Blacker, Garrett Wilson, Andrew Yogan and Kenny Ryan.

“The thing that hinders is not having first-round picks and getting a Taylor Hall,” Torrie said. “The next three, four, five or six years, not having those picks will make it hard to build a championship team.”

So with the Windsor Spitfires getting sanctioned by the OHL – other teams in the OHL wonder who is next? Who is the hammer going to fall on next? NCAA fans are waiting to see how this plays out. I know that some in the UND hockey fans and a certain Michigan student newspaper are probably hoping that the Kitchener Rangers get a look as well.

Edit: According to Chris Dilks the Kitchener Rangers have been cleared in the Jacob Trouba case. Of course they have because no actual money ever changed hands and Trouba is going to honor his commitment to Michigan.

Patrick King, Sports Net --- The league’s policy has been made clear to member teams, but it had previously been viewed as somewhat similar to a soft salary cap. Teams were able to circumvent some rules and, as one source noted to Sportsnet.ca on Friday, "everybody was doing it."

Until the exact circumstances are known in regards to Windsor’s violations, every team is wondering if they could be facing similar sanctions. One source noted there were approximately a handful of other investigations ongoing and Friday’s ruling could simply be the tip of the iceberg.

It’s no secret there is a disparity between the haves and the have-not’s in junior hockey. It doesn’t always come down to drafting the best players because the best players aren’t always willing to play in every situation.

Apparently, the NCAA and College Hockey Incorporated are remaining quite about the recent revelations that took place in Windsor this past week. In my opinion, I don’t know if a comment is needed. I am also not sure what College Hockey Incorporated is supposed to do - I am sure they are watching the situation closely but there no need to make comments until this thing plays out. What are they going to say? See I told you so. Like the article linked above there may be a few more shoes to drop in this case.

Bob Duff, The Windsor Star --- As the hockey world still tries to wrap its collective psyche around the stunning punishment meted out Friday to the Windsor Spitfires by Ontario Hockey League commissioner Dave Branch for violations of the league’s recruitment and benefits policies, those in the U.S. college hockey fraternity, who for years have suggested that major junior clubs were skirting the rules in order to poach players bound for NCAA schools, are opting to take the high road.

The Spitfires were fined $400,000 and docked five draft picks – three first-round choices and two second-round selections between 2013-2017.

Perhaps in private, U.S. college hockey people are doing cartwheels of delight, but for public consumption, they’ve opted to hit the mute button.

“I think it’s best that we respectfully decline comment on this topic, rather say something that’ll get the rest of the OHL mad at us,” said Nate Ewell, executive director of College Hockey Inc., a marketing arm working with the NCAA and designed to educate kids on the merits of U.S. college hockey.

Even Paul Kelly, Ewell’s predecessor and a man who has been outspoken in his accusations that OHL teams were paying players under the table to skip out on their NCAA commitments, wasn’t about to take the bait.

“My past views on this subject are well known, but given my current role I am unable to comment further at this time,” said Kelly, who works as a partner with the law firm of Jackson Lewis LLP.

Not everyone is remaining silent on the matter – I posted a tweet last Friday from the UND hockey beat writer Brad Schlossman and If he posts something on twitter or on his blog I am going to tend to believe him. Here is a screen shot of the tweet in question that says Windsor offered UND incoming freshman Jordan Schmaltz was offered money to not go to UND – so it looks like the OHL got it right in this situation.

Check out this newspaper article from the Sault Star that is basically saying what others have been saying all along. It will be interesting to see if the OHL teams and leadership will go after this newspaper beat writer to find out who the anonymous player agent was.

Bill Montague, Sault Star --- Whether the league’s decision is upheld or not, Friday’s news is excellent news for the Soo Greyhounds and every other small-market team that simply cannot afford to pay players to play for them.

Will it stop the draft manipulation? I doubt it. Teams will still find ways to encourage players to tell other teams they are headed to the U.S., but they will definitely think twice about paying players and their parents off.

Agents will still take the leading role by brokering deals that ensure their clients get under-the-table payouts for playing in certain places. And, as one agent told me, teams will simply become more cautious and creative in their dealings. Another said it's his job to get the best deal for his clients and if that means accepting money from someone willing to dish it out, then so be it.

Still, the news can’t be anything but positive for teams like Sault Ste. Marie. Lets face it, the Soo Greyhounds, Erie Otters and Owen Sound Attack, to name a few, cannot afford to pay out the kind of money the bigger-market teams can dole out to acquire the rights to certain players.

Something to think about

This article brings up a good point - how many of us can afford to take a year off from out jobs to prove a point? I don't know anyone that can and if we had to me might not ever recover financially. Most of us would have nothing left and would lose the houses we live in.

The Globe and Mail --- Neither side seems to feel a great imperative to reach a compromise. The league and the union appear to have been emboldened by the response to the last lockout; if fans returned in droves then, they surely would again.

Perhaps that assumption is correct. But the NHL risks eventually exhausting its fans’ seemingly limitless patience. To Canadians and Americans suffering through turbulent economic times, the sight of millionaire players and multimillionaire owners haggling over how to divide the hard-earned dollars of their considerably less affluent supporters is a decidedly unseemly one. And the fact that the league’s employees can afford to miss an entire year of work only serves as a reminder of their comfort. How many other unions, and how many other employers, would have such a luxury?

FBI and U.S. Postal inspectors probing whether disgraced former Penn State coach Jerry Sandusky was involved in a pedophile ring

The Sicatoka posted a link to this article over on Sioux Sports.

It looks like the hits and more bad news keeps coming for the Nitany Lions and if this story ends up being true this is not very good news for Penn State University. Going forward - it will be interesting to see what other revelations come out from this investigation.

It's mind boggling to me that this stuff could go on for so long and was covered up by power people connected to the PSU athletic department and it took so long for this information to come out.

Dick Weiss, New York Daily News --- The FBI and U.S. Postal inspectors are investigating whether disgraced former Penn State coach Jerry Sandusky was involved in a pedophile ring involving men connected to the university, a new report charges.

A source tells Radaronline.com that investigators are looking into an allegation that Sandusky and “a prominent Penn State booster” were involved in “illegal behavior with young boys.”

In addition, Postal Inspectors have been looking into whether Sandusky shared child pornography with others, CBS News has reported.

Analyzing a computer seized from Sandusky, investigators are also looking into whether he sent “seductive letters” across state lines for sexual purposes.

Some of the letters may have been sent to his sexual abuse victims. The investigation is being carried out by the Postal Inspection Service office in Harrisburg, Pa., and the Office of the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.

OHL throws book at the Windsor Spitfires

I guess where there is smoke there is fire eh?

[Official Press Release]

The Ontario Hockey League, (OHL), has levied fines totaling $400,000.00 against the Windsor Spitfires Hockey Club and taken away three 1st round draft selections and two 2nd round draft selections from the Spitfires.

“In 2009 the Board of Governors of the Ontario Hockey League developed the OHL ENFORCEMENT PROGRAM which is designed to address and attempt to eliminate violations of the RULES and impose appropriate penalties if violations occur. The enforcement process is an integral part of the process to ensure integrity and fair play among the MEMBER TEAMS. One of the fundamental principles of the enforcement process is to ensure that those MEMBER TEAMS that are abiding by the rules are not disadvantaged by their commitment to compliance”, stated OHL Commissioner David Branch.

“The League conducted two separate investigations led by our Director of Security and Enforcement, and in considering all the facts, I was persuaded that the Windsor Spitfires Hockey Club violated the League’s Player Benefit and Recruitment Rules and Policies. While the penalties may appear to be severe, the League and its Member Teams recognize for any such violations of our Recruitment / Benefit Rules and Policies, we must send a strong message to preserve the integrity of our League”, concluded Branch.

In addition to the fine, the Windsor Spitfires shall forfeit 1st round selections in the annual OHL Priority Selection in the years 2013, 2014, 2016, and 2nd round selections in the OHL Priority Selection Process for the years 2015 and 2017.

Update: I don't think this story is going away and here are some of the tweets of interest relating to this story. Also, Chris Peters of the United States of Hockey has a really good story on this as well. 

Is Kessel a polarizing figure?

Apparently, former Minnesota Golden Gopher and former Boston Bruins forward Phil Kessel is feeling the pressure in Toronto. Some of the pundits are beginning to wonder if the Leafs need to trade Kessel while he is still on top of his game.

Meanwhile, Boston Bruins fans are saying thank you Kessel and are happy to have Tyler Seguin on their team as the result of the 2010 offer sheet by Toronto Maple Leafs General Manager Brian Burke. If you asked Boston Bruins fans if they would take Kessel back, they would probably say hell no. Also, after reading the comments of some of the Bruins players it sounds like many of them didn’t want him back either. Bruins forward, and tough guy Shawn Thornton admitted to not liking the former Bruin on a Boston talk show back in December of 2009.

Mark Ritter, The Slapshot Blog -- Since arriving in Toronto Kessel has been under a tremendous amount of scrutiny from both the media and fans. A quiet, unassuming player, Kessel has tried to remain in the shadows, but in the media frenzy that is Toronto it has been tough for him to remain anonymous. As tough as it has been for Kessel to avoid the media attention he receives, it has been even tougher for him to live up to expectations.

While the pressure to perform is with every NHL player, Kessel (fairly or unfairly) will forever be judged against the performances of Seguin (who is well on his way to becoming a star) and Hamilton (who is regarded as an exceptional defensive prospect) and to a lesser extent Knight (who is a project). While the comparisons are unfair, Kessel seems unaffected by all the attention, as witnessed by the numbers he has put up over the past three seasons.

For whatever reason, fair or unfair, Phil Kessel always seems to be under a lot of scrutiny.  After failing to agree to a restricted free agent contract with the Boston Bruins,  Toronto Maple Leafs General Manager Brian Burke traded for Kessel and he's now a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

I think all of us know the rest of the story. In 2011, the Bruins won their first Stanley Cup in 39 years and to this day, the Toronto Maple Leafs continued to be mired in mediocrity. The former Bruin Kessel is heckled in Boston every time he touches the puck and now after last season the Bruins fans also chant thank you Kessel. Because of the Leafs offer sheet, the Bruins ended up with two first round picks and a second round pick. One of the Bruins first round draft picks was fan favorite Tyler Segiun, who helped the Boston Bruins win the cup. Also in just his second season with the Bruins, he was their leading scorer last season.

According to Michael Traikos from the National Post, one unnamed Toronto beat writer suggested that the Maple Leafs trade the young Kessel after leading the Leafs in scoring “while he still has any value.” 

I think it’s premature to throw Kessel under the bus. Last season he didn’t have much of a supporting cast but the Leafs have a stable full of young talent that is starting to mature and that could just take the heat of Kessel. One thing the Leafs need is a setup man that could pass Kessel the puck – in Boston it was Marc Savard – Toronto it’s to be determined.

Friday link around… less than two months till hockey season

There seems to be an uptick of hockey news today after Redwing77’s favorite NHL commissioner laid his big steaming pile of dog excrement at the feet of NHL players and hockey fans. Luckily as a college hockey fan – we know that we don’t’ have to worry about labor disputes and works stoppages. Most of us are also very happy to know that our schools not be faced with the prospects of our favorite team(s) locked out in October.

It’s with a heavy heart that we find out that former Army Black Knight hockey player Major Tom Kennedy was killed in action in action in Afghanistan on Wednesday by a suicide bomber. RIP Major Kennedy - you will be missed. [USCHO.COM]

Greg Boyson of Blackhawk Up had this to say about Garry Bettman and the possibility of having a work stoppage in the NHL this season.

Greg Boysen, Blackhawk Up --- All the wounds from the last lockout that cost us the entire 2004-05 season have all but healed. If Bettman and the owners screw this up the damage will be catastrophic. If there is another work stoppage you can count on contraction not being far behind. There are too many small market teams that are struggling enough as it is and will not survive a lockout. I want to believe that the owners and the players know all of this and will reach an agreement without costing us any playing time, I really do. The problem is, I have no faith in anything that Gary Bettman is in charge of. So my message to Bettman and the owners and Donald Fehr, of the players union, is to do the right thing. No body makes money when there are no games being played. If the momentum of the NHL continues going in the right direction there will be plenty of money to go around for everybody.

Ryan Lambert of Puck Daddy has a blog post on who the fans are blaming for the latest dust up in the labor negotiations. Apparently, I am not the only one that thinks that Bettman is a polarizing and unlikable figure.

Ryan Lambert, Puck Daddy --- [Gary] Bettman, of course, would never ever ever ever ever bring up the word "lockout." Never once. History tells us the preferred NHL language is "work stoppage," and while it's a semantical argument, it's easy to see how much Bettman looms over these proceedings. And apparently, it's far harder to see past the bright spotlight he constantly pulls to himself and spot the strings being pulled by warhawk owners like Jeremy Jacobs and Ed Snider, who want to extract a pound of flesh from the players. The latter party's biggest misstep in all this seems to have been simply adhering to the rules and taking the lunatic $100 million contracts now routinely proffered them by, you know, owners, and they must be made to pay for it.

A quick survey conducted around 5:30 p.m. of tweets using the word "lockout" found that fans and media alike were firmly focusing their venom on Bettman himself. More than half the tweets that loaded immediately menioned dastardly, mustache-twirling Bettman by name. Adam Proteau's use of the word "bully" is especially provocative. As though Bettman kicked Donald Fehr's chair out from under him just as he was about to sit down.

Meanwhile, the number of tweets that used the word "owners" were mentioned in just three (here, here, and here, the latter of which still mentions Bettman).

According to the betting site BOVADA.COM, Here are the Odds to win the 2013 Stanley Cup (Current Odds as of 8/2/12) Pittsburgh Penguins 8/1 New York Rangers 9/1 Vancouver Canucks 11/1 Los Angeles Kings 12/1 Philadelphia Flyers 13/1 Chicago Blackhawks 14/1 Detroit Red Wings 15/1 Boston Bruins 16/1 St. Louis Blues 16/1 Minnesota Wild 18/1 San Jose Sharks 20/1 Buffalo... If a guy was smart and had some extra money laying around I would put some money on the Boston Bruins.

According to CBC there are a "limited number" of spots are available after some on the waitlist got season tickets for the 2012-13 season.

It would appear that Philadelphia Flyers forward and player representative Scott Hartnell is less than thrilled with the NHL owners – welcome to the club so am I and thousands of other NHL hockey fans.

James Wrabel, New York Rangers Blog --- “To use Gary [Bettman’s] own words, it’s a systemic issue,” Hartnell said this week. “He doesn’t want to look at the rich teams or the teams that are losing money. He wants to look at them all together which is a total 180 from what it was seven years ago.

“It’s up to us to see if it’s feasible or not. But you look at the rollback and percentage they want and it’s more concessions then we gave up last time around.”

Academic concerns could relax DI recruiting rules

It would be interesting to see what kind of an effect this rule will have on Division I college hockey. 

I don’t know if I am all that thrilled about coaches talking to eighth graders about their colleges and or universities. I would rather have the kid worrying being a junior high student and being a kid.

Michelle Brutlag-Hosick, NCAA.org --- Division I is considering loosening some recruiting rules to allow coaches to communicate in writing with prospects as young as eighth grade – but only on the subject of the new academic standards for DI student-athletes.

Incoming Division I student-athletes are not required to meet the higher academic standards until 2016. But because of the nature of some of the changes, prospective student-athletes starting high school this fall need to be aware of the new expectations so they can decide which high school courses they need to take.

Communicating with prospects has always been a challenge. The membership adopted recruiting rules to protect high school students and help them focus on academics instead of college athletics. However, some of the rules have had the opposite effect, pulling college coaches out of living rooms and preventing them from imparting the message that academic success is crucial for college student-athletes.

Recognizing that dichotomy, the Division I Committee on Academic Performance began exploring different ways to communicate with prospective student-athletes about the new expectations. One possible solution is to allow coaches greater access to young people, not to recruit them but to help them understand the new standards.

“In suggesting the loosening of rules, the committee put recruiting concerns aside and came together as educators for the good of all student-athletes,” said Kevin Lennon, NCAA vice president for academic and membership affairs. “Of course, some parameters will be in place. The committee wants to make as many student-athletes as possible aware of what’s expected of them. The earlier these students know the expectations, the more prepared they can be academically and the more successful they can be in college.”

The committee is interested in allowing coaches to immediately provide any and all academic information to prospects in eighth grade or older. The information could be provided both in hard copy and electronically in some format that is standard to all schools.

Just like any other rule – I am sure there will be coaches that will become masters at using this rule to exploit it to the max. This will be done other the guise of wink, wink, wink, I was explaining the benefits of my college or university’s education package and we didn’t talk about the ___________ team one bit. I guess anything to get the coach in the student athlete’s living room earlier.

In college hockey its seems like once a kid reaches the tenth grade, if that kid is tearing it up, someone is watching that kid to see if it’s a player that they would like to recruit and have them come to their college/university. College hockey is already getting commitments from young players – do we want to go any younger?

How long is the lockout going to be?

The NHL owners are not doing themselves a favor if they lock themselves out – they are also taking the fans for granted if they think that their bottom line won’t suffer more from having a work stoppage. The fans remember that not too long ago there was a lost season. In case anyone is counting - this would be the third work stoppage under the tutelage of Gary Bettman – that there was a work stoppage – the fans don’t have short memories.

That being said there is some home – not all is lost – the fact that the NHL makes a boat load of money off of the Winter Classic gives the owners some incentive to get a deal done before the "whole" season is squandered away and the work stoppage start cutting into their precious bottom line and their 3.3 billion dollars profit that they experienced this past season.

David Shoalts, The Globe and Mail --- Now that NHL commissioner Gary Bettman has ripped the scales of optimism from too many eyes, the only question is: How long will the lockout be?

Will it wipe out an entire season like the owners did in 2004-05 to get the salary-cap system they now say is impossible to work under? Or will the players and owners get a new collective agreement in time to save the Winter Classic on Jan. 1, the event that kicks off the NHL's U.S. television coverage and mega-millions payout from NBC?

Either unpalatable outcome is possible. The players and owners are oceans apart on the key, and perhaps only, issue - whether the money needed to close the gap between the league's rich and not-so-rich teams has to come out of the players' pockets or through revenue sharing.

ESPN: Kessel's Draft Combine wasn't pretty.

Goon's World All-Time Most Viewed Blog Post

Phil Kessel's Combines; "It wasn't pretty."

I wanted to dust this blog post off so other could read it. From time to time this article is linked on various fan message boards and web pages. This article was posted on USHCO.COM Kessel Discussion I find it kind of interesting.

"This weeks ESPN Magazine written by Gare Joyce, has a very interesting article where ESPN followed around Columbus Blue Jacket player personnel director Don Boyd and GM Doug MacLean as the NHL conducted fitness testing and interviews with the top prospects for the NHL draft. Phil Kessel has quite a bit spoken about him, most of it very unfavorable."

What follows are some excerpts from the famous article in question...

May 29th Toronto

Kessel- At 17, the forward starred for the US team at the 2005 world juniors. He would have gone No. 2 behind Sidney Crosby in last year's draft if he'd been eligible, but his stock has since plunged. He spent last season on the U of Minnesota's third line.

"Strenght?" Boyd asks.

"Speed" and "scoring" go up on the board.

Then the minuses pour out. Says Brian Bates, the Minneapolis scout who saw him the most: "I wonder about his game awareness sometimes."

"There might be some selfish play there sometimes," Boyd adds.

June 2nd Toronto

Kessel walks into the room. The Blue Jackets are the first of 20 interviews on his schedule. He is barely in his seat before Boyd says, "Teammates."

Silence.

"Do you know what I'm talking about?"

"No," Kessel says.

He most certainly does. Kessel has a reputation for being disliked by teammates wherever he's played. Jack Johnson, 2nd overall in last year's draft, called him "a dirtbag" during one of his combine interviews.

Silence.

"I don't have a problem with my teammates."

More silence.

"I don't have a problem with Jack Johnson."

More silence.

"I had lunch with him practically every day."

What about the TV report about that bar serving underage Gophers?

"Happens everywhere," Kessel says.

Only 18 goals last season when you were compared to Sidney Crosby the year before?

"I was on the third line...we rolled four lines."

Kessel's time is up. He leaves, seemingly aware that his was a less-than-stellar performance.

June 2nd Toronto- Physicals and Fitness testing

"What you get a look at here," Boyd says, "is just how willing the kids are to work on their own and what their work ethic is like."

As if on cue, Kessel comes in. He looks around nervously. A few minutes later, Kessel looks gassed on the bike, stopping at seven minutes.

June 23rd Vancouver

Kessel walks in holding an empty water bottle. He shakes hands, sits on the couch and starts tapping the bottle against his palm, a drum beat...

Boyd jumps in. "Phil, I watched you test at the combine. How do you think you did?"

I think I did pretty well. It was tough. I just came back from the world championships. Didn't have that much chance to prepare for it."

"You walked around that room," Boyd says. "You saw the conditioning level of other guys. Where do you think your conditioning is? A lot of guys look like they've been in the gym longer than you. I'm not talking about the past few weeks. I'm talking about the past year, year and a half."

"I doubt that."

"You train pretty hard?" Boyd says.

"Yeah. I mean, I didn't have a chance to work out for practically a month and a half."

There are other questions. About his relationships with teammates. About his rep as a party guy. Then Boyd goes directly to the scouting report. "How would you respond to this: 'A little bit immature, needs to work a little harder in the gym, practice a little harder, needs to learn some social skills, people skills.' We'll leave it at that."

Kessel's voice falls to a whisper. "I'd say, okay...yeah a little bit...some of that stuff...it's a little hard...work on some of that stuff, I guess."

It's over soon after that. Kessel looks disheartened as he leaves. MacLean looks sad. "If what they're saying about this kid isn't true, it's criminal. Because I don't know if I ever heard the negative stuff like I have with this kid."

Goon's Perspective on the Matter

I think that Gare Joyce's article is a good illustration of one side of the Phil Kessel's story. Nothing more. Some people have said that Phil Kessel is a prima donna, others have said that he's self focused. He's also shy.

Online, people say many things when they hide behind the anonymity of the Internet. Most times, without the fear of retribution. That's life. But when an athlete says something about another athlete that's different. Right?

Let's try looking at it from this angle. Maybe, some of this stuff is actually true? It's possible, right? Yep, it is. Why would people make it up? If not, it's blatant character defamation.

Read the comment below. Are we to believe also that Jack Johnson is an pompous, self serving ass, and just making stuff up about Kessel? 

Kessel walks into the room. The Blue Jackets are the first of 20 interviews on his schedule. He is barely in his seat before Boyd says, "Teammates."

Silence.

"Do you know what I'm talking about?"

"No," Kessel says.

He most certainly does. Kessel has a reputation for being disliked by teammates wherever he's played. Jack Johnson, 2nd overall in last year's draft, called him "a dirt bag" during one of his combine interviews.

There has been a lot of discussion ad nauseam about Phil Kessel's attitude and whether he's is a cancer in the locker room. There is also the much discussed childhood tiff between Kessel and Jack Skille, when they played youth hockey together in Wisconsin.


Jack Johnson's Character

Johnson is hardly a hack. He's an upcoming star in USA hockey and the NHL. If Johnson is flawed, why does the Carolina Hurricanes want him to leave the University of Michigan and sign a professional contract? The Hurricanes must have seen something in Jack Johnson that they like.

So what,  right? I guess we are all entitled to our own opinions, however, I am still going to take  two professional athletes Jack Johnson's and Jack Skille's word over some random anonymous fan from a message board. 

In conclusion...

I have nothing against Phil Kessel. I think he has amazing offensive talent and has a very big upside.   In the NHL team goals are always going to come first, before individual goals. Its about working as a team and buying into a system, personal stats come second.

Related articles

• Is Kessel a polarizing figure?
• What will Seguin get?

Bettman’s kick to the groin of hockey fans

Twitter has kind of blew up this afternoon with posts from NHL Hockey fans, agents and journalists about Gary Betman's announcement that there will be no NHL season without a new CBA - the NHL owners will lockout the NHL players if the two sides do not reach an agreement by the 15th of September.

I think it's kind of a kick to the groin because there is no reason the two sides can't come to an agreement before the season is to begin. It sounds like the two sides are far apart and might want to get talking if they are to reach a deal some time in the near future.

I think it would be a very bad idea for the owners to lock the players out. That being said there are some really good tweets and posts out there right now that kind of layout what is at stake here.

Damien Cox from the Toronto Star has a really good article that he wrote today.

Pay no attention. Ignore them.

That's about the best advice anyone can give a hockey fan these days as the NHL and NHL Players Association start the verbal sparring of yet another round of collective bargaining negotiations that almost certainly will result in another work stoppage.

For the "crime" of loving the game too passionately and supporting the 30 NHL clubs too enthusiastically in the wake of the last lockout, NHL fans and customers will now pay the price of watching the league and players demonstrate once more they care more about the business of the game than the sport or the fans.

They'll shut the game down, at least for a while, because the fans didn't punish them emphatically for shutting it down the last time. And it appears nothing will stop that from happening.

Mark Spector of Sportsnet.ca has a really good article on dispelling some CBA myths. Spector has five myths to dispel and I like this myth the best.

Myth No. 5: There's no reason for the owners to lock out the players. Let's just start the season under the terms of the old CBA.

So union head Don Fehr says there is no reason to delay the start of the season. That is within accepted labour practices for the NHL to start the season under the terms of the current CBA, and continue to negotiate.

That is a fine strategy by Fehr, but unless nine-tenths of a new CBA is agreed upon by Sept. 15, it is completely unrealistic.

The fact that the owners cut the checks is the NHL's biggest hammer. If they start signing checks, what impetus is there for the players to accept the owners' terms?

How about this: The games go on as scheduled, but the players play for free until a deal is reached? Can you see that happening?

I don't think the players would like this one unless the owners would agree not to be paid either. Without the players there is no NHL.

Bettman, 'we will Lock out the players if there is no agreement.

I have said this before, the NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman is a pompous, condescending and lastly, a smug jerk... So much for the nice and civil negotiations eh? Make no mistake about it the owners, in my opinion, are trying to weaken the NHLPA. Yeah, I blame the owners in this dispute because they're the ones that created this mess by signing players to these ridiculous contracts. Donald Fehr head of the NHLPA confirmed that the players union will send a counter-proposal to the National Hockey League on Tuesday. There are 37 days left until the current CBA expires that's a little over a month for the two sides to get an agreement done between the two sides.

TSN.CA --- National Hockey League commissioner Gary Bettman told reporters on Thursday that the NHL will lock out its players if there is no new collective bargaining agreement by the time the old agreement expires on Sept. 15.

"We reiterated to the union that the owners will not play another year under the current agreement," he told a scrum of reporters in New York after the latest talks.

"I re-confirmed something that the union has been told multiple times over the last nine to 12 months. Namely, that the time is getting short and the owners are not prepared to operate under this collective bargaining agreement for another season so we need to get to making a deal and doing it soon. And we believe there's ample time for the parties to get together and make a deal and that's what we're going to be working towards."

Reports indicate that NHLPA executive director Donald Fehr, who just returned from a player information session overseas, is expected to make a counter-proposal on Tuesday. He mentioned earlier this summer that the players were willing to keep working past Sept. 15 as long as solid progress was being made in the negotiations.

What will Seguin get?

The recent signing of Jeff Skinner is going to set the bar for other RFA with similar numbers. The upside of Tyler Seguin is pretty big as I could see him erupt and have a very big season this year.

This is an interesting discussion that is worth talking about - one could also ask the question - what if Seguin gets somewhere in the neighborhood of  75-80 points - he is going to command a pretty big salary and if the Bruins low ball him you could see someone sign him to an offer sheet like the Toronto Maple Leafs did with Phil Kessel.

Joe Haggerty, CSNNE.COM --- Skinner signed a six-year, $34.35 million contract that could wind up being very similar to Seguin’s second contract if the Bruins opt for a longer term pact with their budding superstar. The deal will play Skinner $4.35 million in his arbitration-eligible season in 2013-14 and $6 million per season from 2014-2019.

If Seguin got the same deal, it would make him the highest-paid forward on the Bruins, and the second-highest paid player behind only Zdeno Chara.

But it’s also the kind of deal that Seguin could command given the comparable track that both Skinner and Boston’s young superstar have undergone over the last two years. In essence Skinner has set the bar for Seguin and agent Ian Pulver if a contract extension is to be completed before the end of next season.

Boston could opt to go the shorter deal route with Seguin, but that could end up costing them more money if the B’s center continues his rapid ascension toward being one of the game’s best offensive players.

I am not sure what Joe Haggerty is talking about because according to Cap Geek David Krejci makes 5,250,000.00 and Patrice Bergeron makes 5,000,000.00 a year.

Greg Jamison to finally buy Yotes?

Phoenix Coyotes (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

It appears that the Coyotes ownership saga might finally be over. According to Mike Sunnucks of the Phoenix Business Journal, the Phoenix Coyotes appear to finally have an owner that isn't named the NHL. This is good news if your a fan of the Phoenix Coyotes - this is not good news if your a fan of city that is trying to lure the Coyotes to your home town.

Mike Sunnucks, Senior Reporter- Phoenix Business --- Prospective Coyotes buyer Greg Jamison has brought investment money and partners back into the fold and could soon close on the purchase of the team from the National Hockey League. The sale would keep the team in Glendale at Jobing.com Arena.

Jamison’s group has been trying to buy the Coyotes since last year.

Two sources with knowledge of the three-year-old Coyotes ownership saga say Jamison now has the investors and partners in place to finally buy the Coyotes and a deal could close very soon.

All that comes as free agent Coyotes captain Shane Doan puts off signing with a new team while Jamison tries to close the deal. The fact that Doan has held off signing with a new team could be an indicator that he is waiting on the Coyotes sale to close.

It will also be interesting to see if Phoenix Coyote forward Shane Doan will now resign with the Coyotes or not? Doan is an unrestricted free agent is looking for  a new deal and has expressed an interest to remain in Phoenix and has been waiting to see if the Coyotes ownership situation to be resolved.

NCHC selects more of their staff

According to Joe Paisley of USCHO the NCHC picked more of their staff yesterday - it will be interesting to see who else is added to the NCHC staff as the year progresses.

Joe Paisley, USCHO.COM --- The administration for the National Collegiate Hockey Conference continues to develop this summer with new additions to the league office staff.

Verna Toller was hired recently as business operations manager while Mike Moran, a former longtime spokesman for the United States Olympic Committee, signed a short-term contract as a media relations consultant, commissioner Jim Scherr said on Wednesday.

“We’re real excited to bring Verna on board,” Scherr said. “Mike’s a good friend who is just down the hall and has extensive experience in media relations.”

Toller was hired in July after spending nine months with the City of Colorado Springs in the real estate services division. From May 2008 to December 2010, she worked for CB Richard Ellis, an international commercial real estate company, first as the real estate services administrator and later as the assistant real estate manager.

Before taking seven years off to raise her three children, she helped start the Grubb and Ellis/Quantum Commercial Group, a Colorado Springs-based affiliate of Grubb & Ellis Company. In her 10 years there, she advanced from receptionist to office manager and to business operations manager.