Report: NHL, NHLPA agree on cap formula

[sahyder1]

Cancelling the Allstar Game is stupid. The NHL needs more positivity and exposure right now, not less. Why can't they just reschedule?

←

[oldskool]

I sure hope you've enjoyed the first half of hockey, folks, we'll be back in March!

Good move to cancel the All-Star game. You're losing 2 weeks to the Olympics...which is like a two-week-long All-Star game.

[jonnycomelately]

I've never been a real big hockey fan but as a casual fan I'm glad to have hockey negotiations looking on the up and up. Hockey is a sport that just draws people to it but can't keep as wide of a fan base as the other professional sports. If I'm in a place and a hockey game and a basketball game is on, at first there will be more people watching the b-ball game but slowly over time the crowd shifts. I never understood it but it happens. The hockey playoffs are also the hardest contested games I've seen in any sport which draws me in.

[oldskool]

Hockey is the ECW of American sports. You throw off gloves and punch somebody in the mouth in any other sport, you are in deep shit...you do it in hockey and you get the place shaking with the cheers.

[Lowerdeck]

I've said it before that I'm not the biggest hockey fan in the world. I barely follow it, but I do like seeing games live. However, the playoffs is good stuff with hard competition so I'll catch some of that on TV. It'll be nice to see it return, hopefully the sport improves with this agreement.

[sahyder1]

TSN.ca Staff

7/13/2005 9:27:13 AM

The NHL's long awaited new CBA will be completed today, sources close to the talks told TSN Wednesday.

An extended session between the NHL and NHL Players' Association, which started at Noon et on Tuesday, is apparently continuing and should soon produce the agreement  that would be the catalyst to ending the 301-day labour dispute, the longest in the history of North American professional sports.

It has become painfully evident that the two sides have had to do more than dot i's and cross t's and satisfy legal requirements in the last few days. Mind you, there has unquestionably been a lot of that to do. But there has also been back and forth negotiations on some final unresolved issues.

Sources say there's nothing left on the table that is likely significant enough to derail the entire process, which is now in its final hours, but more time is required to finish off these items to the satisfaction of the league and the union.

Today is the 10th consecutive day the two sides have been engaged in marathon talks and the appearance seems to be that they are now prepared to meet for as long as it takes to get an agreement.

The wait should be over before the end of the day.

Stay tuned.

Edited July 13, 2005 by sahyder1

[Guest ryan_the_canuck]

Deal's done. $39 million hard cap for this season.

[Guest sabresfan11]

Agreed man, I can't wait to have it back.

[Troy Maskell]

Bah, all that bullshit is behind me now.... I'm going to buy Leaf season tickets A.S.A.P... Ok, I don't have that kind of cash, but you can bet your sweet ass I'm going to as many games as humanly possible (on my budget) next season.

I've been having Wade Belak withdrawl syndrome for too long.

←

[Jester of Death]

I'm so glad to see hockey get back on the ice.

It's too bad the Coyotes absolutely suck.

[CKN]

I'm so glad to see hockey get back on the ice.

It's too bad the Coyotes absolutely suck.

←

[sahyder1]

Players ratify.....press conference going on right now

[Laice07]

I'm pretty happy, but very worrited, and I have one question to ask......

Will the Leafs most likely suck this year?

[CKN]

I'm pretty happy, but very worrited, and I have one question to ask......

Will the Leafs most likely suck this year? 

←

Edited July 22, 2005 by CKN

[Guest ryan_the_canuck]

It won't be airing the lottery draft. TSN will be airing the 'results' of the lottery draft, about a second before all the other networks get them. And they're still calling it an exclusive.

[Guest NYJetFan86]

A few points I want to add

1) If they really want to creat more offense they should just ban teams from using the trap (I know it sounds odd coming from me being that I'm a Devils fan and they are one of the biggest abusers of the trap)

2) The newly formed Competition Comittee which has 4 players, 4 GMs, and 1 owner has no goalies on it which I believe is unfair because IMO low scoring games can be exciting just like pitcher's duels in baseball are excititing 2 goalies matching each other save for save to me is pretty exciting

3) If they are going to have shootouts to break ties shouldn't they just skip the extra overtime period and go right to the shootout?

4) And I think losses in overtime or shootout should be counted with all other losses instead of a seperate category in the standings

[CKN]

It won't be airing the lottery draft.  TSN will be airing the 'results' of the lottery draft, about a second before all the other networks get them.  And they're still calling it an exclusive.

←

[Jester of Death]

I guess this is the rundown for the impending lottery...

TSN to broadcast draft lottery in Canada

Associated Press

TORONTO -- U.S. hockey fans will have to rely on regional cable outlets for full, live coverage Friday of the NHL draft lottery.

The event will determine the entire 30-team draft order as well as which club has won the right to draft 17-year-old Canadian juniors phenom Sidney Crosby.

While people up north can turn to TSN -- Canada's version of ESPN -- to see NHL commissioner Gary Bettman open the envelopes, American viewers will have to live in the right areas of the nation or settle for bits and pieces of news.

The cable outlets that will show TSN's telecast in their viewing areas are Altitude in Denver; Comcast Sports Net in Chicago, the Mid-Atlantic area and Philadelphia; and New York's MSG Network.

ESPN, which earlier this year decided not to pick up a $60 million option to broadcast hockey games next season, also passed on the chance to show the lottery in full.

"We have ongoing conversations with the NHL on a number of different topics," ESPN spokesman Josh Krulewitz said. "It was expressed from our end that this was not something we were interested in televising.

"It never went any further than that," he said.

ESPN News, an all-sports news channel of the network, will feature some live cut-ins of TSN's telecast -- probably when the winners of the top two picks are revealed.

It will be on a news basis as opposed to scheduled programming.

The network hasn't ruled out televising NHL games next season but wants to do it on a more cost-effective basis. The damage from the lockout that wiped out all of last season is not yet known.

"Our goal is to have something more reflective of the value," Krulewitz said.

ESPN has begun exploring alternative programming possibilities should it not televise hockey games.

The NHL will soon begin its two-year profit-sharing arrangement with NBC. That was originally supposed to begin with the canceled 2004-05 season.

Projections have NHL revenues falling somewhere between $1.7 billion and $1.8 billion -- down from $2.1 billion before the lockout.

[oldskool]

And does anyone know if they are keeping sudden death overtime in the playoffs because I would hate to see shootouts in the playoffs. Shootouts in the regular season are fine by me though.

←

Edited July 22, 2005 by oldskool

[Guest Grapehead]

I love those special games that make 3rd or 4th overtime periods, I always feel so excited staying up and watching them. I'm so fucking excited about the new season, but there's still a lot of anger let over from last season, I just can't wait for the players to hit the ice so I can forget all about last "season".

I'm also a big Sens fan(used to have their farm team down here, still pissed they bailed) so I agree the Leafs will probably suck, or I can only hope for the sake of my Sens.