[canucker]

I understand what you mean, but reducing the goalie pad size is a good thing IMO. They were alot smaller in the 80's and 90's. One part of why it was more exciting in those days. Alot of those other rumours and rule changes, I'm not so sure about.

$1:

Rumor #1 Say goodbye to the two line pass. Really. Very surprised about this. I was a long time supporter of this change, until I talked to some guys who played in Sweden who said is slowed the game down...Then again that was Sweden, and NHL hockey is more aggressive.

Rumor #2 When you ice the puck you can't change lines, but the offensive team can.

Rumor #3 You'll be able to play the puck off of the netting

Rumor #4 OT will consist of 4 on 4 for 5 minutes, 3 on 3 for 3 minutes, and then a shootout...

Rumor #5 Icings will be no touch (hate that) and offsides will be touch up..(like it)

Rumor #6 Teams will not be permitted to ice the puck when shorthanded (I think the shorthanded icing is an exciting play..others disagree, but I think this changes the pacing in a bad way)

Rumor #7 All players will throw gold coins into the stands following goals as their way of thanking the fans for coming back...(alright maybe silver ones)

$1:

Friday, July 01, 2005

Update
No meetings today, but they will get together on Monday to continue towards the end.

"Many people are starting to throw darts at the calendar here," a source said, "They aren't done yet...so that is no more accurate than a fun 'when will the baby arrive? pool'. It will be done soon, and hockey will launch an incredible marketing campaign in September."

The competition committee, reported on by Alan Hahn in Thursday's Newsday, is now being cited by other outlets such as TSN today, This committee, made up of players, gms and reportedly the widely respected Ed Snider from the Flyers, will discuss how to make the game better. This is a great way to kick off the partnership as was discussed here yesterday.

Eklund's Hockey Rumors

[Tman1]

Well regardless of the fact, they should test that stuff out in the WHL, and then if fan input is good, they should implement it. Now....of course they would not DO that as they want and want and want and want and keep wanting more american fan base as THATS the focal point of new rules. Sad to say as long as an american is the head of a Canadian association, thats what you will get.

[The Hoser]

Well, skrew the NHL, let's find some channle or internet site that broadcasts CHL games!!

[Tman1]

The Dark Canuck The Dark Canuck:

Well, skrew the NHL, let's find some channle or internet site that broadcasts CHL games!!

Uhh ok, as soon as the next CHL season begins.

[The Hoser]

No shit... We should find the channel before it starts so we can catch the opening games instead of missing it!

[Tman1]

The Dark Canuck The Dark Canuck:

No shit... We should find the channel before it starts so we can catch the opening games instead of missing it!

Err I am talking about REAL hockey, not Montreal Canadiens hockey which is bow down and fade out.

[The Hoser]

Tman1 Tman1:

The Dark Canuck The Dark Canuck:

No shit... We should find the channel before it starts so we can catch the opening games instead of missing it!

Err I am talking about REAL hockey, not Montreal Canadiens hockey which is bow down and fade out.

OH! OH! Who has the record for the most Stanley Cups (Not to mention they have the biggest cups, ) YEAH! THATS RIGHT! THE HABS! Take off, mr.whateverotherteamyourootforIcantelltheysuckbecauseyoulikethem.

[Tman1]

The Dark Canuck The Dark Canuck:

Tman1 Tman1:

The Dark Canuck The Dark Canuck:

No shit... We should find the channel before it starts so we can catch the opening games instead of missing it!

Err I am talking about REAL hockey, not Montreal Canadiens hockey which is bow down and fade out.

OH! OH! Who has the record for the most Stanley Cups (Not to mention they have the biggest cups, ) YEAH! THATS RIGHT! THE HABS! Take off, mr.whateverotherteamyourootforIcantelltheysuckbecauseyoulikethem.

Objective. The past is the past. Sure the Habs have a exemplary record, but hey, they were one of the only 2-3 teams to PLAY for the cup for at least 30 years... no wonder they won so much. I cheer for any Canadian team who does good, not commital but hey, as long as ANY Canadian team makes it I will root for them but until then? I will make fun of the Habs who only incorporate French-Canadian Coaches and as many French-Canadians as possible on their team.

[The Hoser]

Not our fault the best players on earth are French-Canadians...

[Tman1]

The Dark Canuck The Dark Canuck:

Not our fault the best players on earth are French-Canadians...

[canucker]

That's a very handsome pic of you Tman1

[The Hoser]

Does that pic look 13 to you?

[canucker]

Eklund's Hockey Rumors

$1:

Rumored Draft Date
From a few sources. "The Draft will be held July 30th in Ottawa."

Additional Draft info...I have been told that all teams will at least get a single ball.

Again, I have also heard that this just what they are currently working with...It is quite possible that some of the big teams flex some muscles at the Board of Governors meeting and get 1 ball per team.

$1:

Rumors or Rumours (for you canadians)
"Wayne Gretzky will coach the Phoenix coyotes, but not all the away games." according to a source. It is speculated the Tocchet will coach the games Gretzky doesn't.

The draft lottery will be the following.
All teams start with three balls
You lose 1 if you made the play-offs once in the last five years.
You lose 2 if you made the play-offs twice in the last five years.
You lose 1 if you had the first overall pick in the last seven years.

According to another source," The reason for the change from a luxury tax system to this system where the top ten teams pay revenue sharing is because the NHLPA (who originally had that idea) wanted it that way...The amount of revenue shared will work out to be the same as if there had been a luxury tax.ting and get 1 ball per team.

[Tman1]

Jeremy Roenick to fans. "They can kiss my ass"

[Sharkull]

Just spotted this:
http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-nhl ... 3343.story

$1:

NHL on Its Way Back
League, players' association agree in principle on a new collective bargaining agreement that includes a hard salary cap.

By Helene Elliott, Times Staff Writer


The NHL and the players' association have agreed in principle on a new collective bargaining agreement that will feature a hard salary cap linked to 54% of league revenue, a 24% rollback of existing contracts and qualifying offers, and a provision that will limit the salary of any single player to 20% of the team cap figure in any year, sources familiar with the labor negotiations said Wednesday.

The agreement, which is expected to be announced next week, also includes an NBA-style escrow provision under which 15% of each player's paycheck will go into an escrow account until revenue is calculated after each season. If league-wide spending on salaries exceeds 54% of revenue, the difference between the salaries paid and the negotiated percentage will be paid to teams from the escrow account. If teams spend less than 54%, the escrow money will revert to players.


Negotiators are estimating revenues will be $1.8 billion next season, down from $2.1 billion in 2002-03. The salary cap will be $37 million and won't include medical and dental benefits and pension payments. The floor will be about $24 million.

The league also agreed to let players represent their homelands at the Turin Olympics next February and will take an 18-day break to accommodate players' travel and participation in the Games.

The All-Star game will be dropped next season, mollifying owners who opposed repeated interruptions.

A source also said each team will have an equal chance in the lottery for the No. 1 pick in this year's entry draft. Canadian forward Sidney Crosby, touted as the next Wayne Gretzky, will probably be the top prize.

Overall, the agreement is a resounding victory for NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, who locked players out Sept. 15 in an effort to bring about sweeping economic changes and achieve cost certainty for owners. The average NHL salary rose from $730,000 in 1994-95 to $1.83 million in 2003-04, but Bettman contended that revenue did not keep pace and that teams lost a collective $1 billion in the decade preceding the lockout.

The NHL, which became the first major professional sports league to lose an entire season to a labor dispute, will become the last of the major North American leagues to adopt salary controls.

The agreement will be presented to the 10-member NHL executive committee in New York on Monday, and the Board of Governors will rubber-stamp it late next week.

Players will debate and vote at a meeting that could be contentious; if they approve, a 10-day period will begin for teams to sign players they drafted in 2003 and other players on their reserve lists. The season probably would start in early to mid-October.

King President Tim Leiweke, a member of the NHL executive committee, declined to discuss specifics of the negotiations. "I do think the union and the league have made a lot of progress," he said. "They're not there, but hopefully, they'll be there in the very near future."

The largest unresolved issue, a source said, is the disposition of contracts for the 2004-05 season. The NHLPA wants obligations for the 2004-05 season to be respected, and the NHL opposes that but might yield, a source said.

The new deal has no luxury tax but addresses revenue sharing through a complex formula under which the top 10 revenue-earning teams will give a percentage of their revenue to small-market teams at the conclusion of each season.

Salary arbitration will be conducted "baseball style," with each side presenting a figure and the arbitrator obligated to pick one figure or the other. Provisions will allow teams to walk away from a specified number of awards. Also, the minimum age to qualify for unrestricted free agency will be 31 in the first year of the deal, 30 the following year and 28 for the remaining four years.

In another key change, players' performance bonuses will be restricted according to a standardized formula. Criteria such as points, ice time and plus/minus ratio will govern bonuses available to forwards. Another set of standards will apply to bonuses for defensemen, and a third set will determine bonuses for goaltenders.

As expected, earnings will be limited for entry-level players. They will be subject to salary limits for their first four seasons instead of three, as in the old agreement, and their maximum earnings will be $850,000.

*

Salary rollbacks

Some sample NHL players' salaries under terms of the pending collective bargaining agreement, with scheduled 2004-05 figure, salary minus a 24% rollback and minus 15% to escrow: Player/Team Scheduled salary Minus rollback Minus escrow
Sergei Fedorov, Mighty Ducks $8 million $6.080 million $5.168 million
Jaromir Jagr, N.Y. Rangers $11 million $8.36 million*
Nicklas Lidstrom, Detroit $10 million $7.60 million*
Dan Boyle, Tampa Bay $2.75 million $2.09 million $1,776,500
Sean Avery, Kings $600,000 $456,000 $387,600
*Subject to maximum salary of 20% of the team's cap per season. With the cap expected to be $37 million, Jagr's salary would be $7.4 million, minus 15% to escrow, or $6,290,000. The same provision applies to Lidstrom.