All I've seen has been some classic NHL... I had hoped ESPN2 would use the NHL slots to air division 1 college hockey games, AHL, or some European leagues. Sadly, they seem more interested in airing long stretches of poker (repeated many times over already) and some lousy ESPN originals.

 

Fox Sports has game 4 of the 1995 Red Wings Devils Stanley Cup game tonight.

 

I read in the paper this morning that the owners and the players were meeting today.

 

They are, in Toronto... haven't seen what the NHLPA is proposing yet.

 

Here are 2 of the speculations as of Noon on Thursday as to what the NHLPA is putting on the table.

http://sympaticomsn.ctv.ca/servlet/Article...?hub=topstories

http://sports.sympatico.msn.ca/Home/Conten...itemid=17328017

 

This is similar to what I thought should be proposed a long time ago. I had surmised a 100% luxury tax over $50 million (after the 10% rollback); 7 teams would pay and 22 receive, Anaheim was a wash at just under $50 million. Hard cap on rookies.

The only hard part is how do you split up the tax? Do you give the most to the teams that spent the least (in essence rewarding cheap skates like Bill Wirtz)? Or a flat amount to every team under the cap?

 

Shanahan's informal gathering of NHLers recommends changes

By IRA PODELL, AP Sports Writer
December 8, 2004
TORONTO (AP) -- Brendan Shanahan didn't have any hockey games to play this week, so instead he invited a group of experts to talk about how to make the NHL better.

Shanahan, a Detroit Red Wings forward, convened a 21-member panel of current and former players, general managers, coaches, retired referee Terry Gregson, and television personalities and executives for a two-day meeting that ended Wednesday.

The group, which included Detroit goalie Curtis Joseph, and Toronto Maple Leafs captain Mats Sundin, presented 10 possible ways to improve the game.

The NHL lockout, which reached its 84th day Wednesday, provided the time for Shanahan to get the committee together at a swanky hotel at Shanahan's expense.

``Hockey has been good to me,'' he said. ``That part of it was not something that was an issue for me. I had a lot of time on my mind to think about hockey and the future of the game.''

The seven-time All-Star hopes to present the panel's findings to union head Bob Goodenow and NHL commissioner Gary Bettman once they hammer out a collective bargaining agreement.

On Thursday, the sides will hold their first negotiating session since Sept. 9. The NHLPA is expected to make another offer with the hope of saving the season.

``I'm not going to get in the way of these negotiations, but when the time is right Gary and Bob will both certainly hear what was discussed in this meeting in greater detail,'' Shanahan said.

Among the proposed changes were: creating a competition committee, akin to one in the NFL; clearly defining and enforcing obstruction; a shootout after overtime to eliminate ties; one-minute penalties in overtime; and streamlined goaltender equipment.

Taking a page out of NASCAR's book, the panel also wants to create a higher profile for its players and make them more accessible to broadcasters during games.

What Shanahan ultimately hopes to achieve is a system in which players and officials have a voice in decisions that affect the games. The way the system works now is NHL general managers propose changes to the league's board of governors.

``The idea of the competition committee is that in the future we all have a voice on these matters,'' Shanahan said.

Some of the suggestions follow those made by general managers at a meeting in February.

The AHL is experimenting with the tag-up offsides rule, no-touch icing, wide blue lines, a restricted area that limits where goalies can handle the puck, moving the goal line back 2 feet, and tiebreaking shootouts.


Updated on Wednesday, Dec 8, 2004 10:28

 

Not sure if this is a repost because I can't get the link above to work.


http://www.nike.com/canada/nikehockey/lockout/

 

^Good commercial
Nike started airing that on the first day of the lockout

 

• Salary Rollback
  Immediately cuts 24 percent off all existing contracts. NHLPA says that will save teams $270 million in the first year and $528 million over three years. The previous offer of Sept. 9 offered a 5 percent rollback.
  
• Salary Restraints
  Would restrict rookie contracts to $850,000 a year for three years, down from last season's $1.2 million level. There would also be reductions in qualifying offers to restricted free agents, and would give clubs the chance to elect arbitration in a system similar to one used in baseball. The union estimates clubs will save $400 million over the next six years and reduce the aggregate qualifying offers due to restricted free agents by $285 million over three years.
  
• Luxury Tax
  Would penalize teams 20 cents for each dollar they spend between $45 million and $50 million. The penalty would increase to 25 percent the second year and 30 percent in the third. Teams spending between $50 million and $60 million would be taxed 50 cents on the dollar the first year, 55 cents the second year and 60 cents the third. Those with payrolls above that would have to pay 60 cents for every dollar the first year, 65 cents the second, and 70 cents the third year on each dollar over the threshold. Includes a revenue-sharing plan to bring the bottom 15 teams within 30 percent of the revenues of the top 15 teams.
  
• Joint Players-Club Committees
  Committees would be designed to ensure improvements in the game, its marketing and its revenues. The players proposed to play in the 2006 and 2010 Winter Olympics.

I like the progressive luxury tax. 24% rollback seems a bit steep, but it may be enough to get the owners to accept a luxury tax.

Bettman will counteroffer on Tuesday.