2008/2009 Hockey Thread v2.0

[TGWL]

Did crosby shake hands with the redwings? If he did, I missed it.

[SeanDMan]

He was probably too busy giving everyone in the media a handjob for all the coverage he got.

[Toe]

Did crosby shake hands with the redwings? If he did, I missed it.

Yes, he did shake hands with them. It just took him forever since everyone seemed to have something to say to him.

[Gabriel]

The Wings lined up to start shaking hands way early. Half the Penguins didn't even realize it was happening until some of the Wings players started leaving.

Now, they're saying the Crosby purposely snubbed everyone. I'm sorry... but with the media, the team, and the overall craziness, it's a little hard to see over 200 heads to find that the other team is ready to leave.

There really should be some announcement or something... game over, team celebrates, Conn Smythe given away, handshakes, then the Stanley Cup. That's how it should be.

[Guest Mr. Potato Head]

For everyone who remembers coming home from kindergarten and watching whatever filler programming TSN was airing that afternoon, I present:

[Evil Chase K]

Did crosby shake hands with the redwings? If he did, I missed it.

Yes.

The Wings lined up to start shaking hands way early. Half the Penguins didn't even realize it was happening until some of the Wings players started leaving.

Now, they're saying the Crosby purposely snubbed everyone. I'm sorry... but with the media, the team, and the overall craziness, it's a little hard to see over 200 heads to find that the other team is ready to leave.

There really should be some announcement or something... game over, team celebrates, Conn Smythe given away, handshakes, then the Stanley Cup. That's how it should be.

Yeah, Crosby didn't snub anyone. A commenter on a blog I frequent posted screen caps from his DVR. Crosby is shaking hands and talking with Mike Babcock AFTER Lidstrom follows Hossa into the locker room. Seems like it's the Wings making something out of nothing.

[Blaze09]

Can I just say I your sig K lol

[Evil Chase K]

What's so funny?

[Plubby]

Nothing, only a scumbag would be laughing at the greatest travesty in Hockey in years.

[Clawson]

Yeah, Crosby didn't snub anyone.

Ummm....yes he did. He didn't snub everyone but he definitely didn't shake hands with all the Red Wings.

[Gabriel]

Yeah, Crosby didn't snub anyone.

Ummm....yes he did. He didn't snub everyone but he definitely didn't shake hands with all the Red Wings.

We've been over this though.

Half of the Penguins team was still celebrating with family and media when the Red Wings lined up for handshakes. Crosby's not the only person who didn't get to shake Lidstrom's hand.

It's a matter of miscommunication. There's no announcement made for the handshake, and some of the guys were so caught up that they didn't know what was going on. If you watch, you clearly see about 8 players realize the Wings want to leave and start making their way over to the lineup... by which time, the first few Wings had already left.

Nobody snubbed anybody. Fact is, the Wings lined up, the Penguins weren't aware, and instead of waiting, the Wings went through the guys who figured it out in time, and then left.

[SeanDMan]

16/06/2009 2:15:00 AM

Shi Davidi, THE CANADIAN PRESS

Judge Redfield T. Baum made his highly anticipated decision public earlier in the evening, saying in a 21-page ruling that there wasn't enough time to deal with all the unresolved issues raised by the unprecedented case.

That prompted Balsillie to offer the NHL an olive branch and propose to work with it in attempt to find "an appropriate" relocation fee to bring the club north through mediation.

But buoyed by the judgment, the league says it plans to help a future owner make the Coyotes viable in Glendale, and its claims that four parties have expressed an interest in operating the team there will now be put to the test.

"We are confident that we will be able to find such a buyer for the Coyotes," deputy commissioner Bill Daly said in a statement, "and that the claims of legitimate creditors will be addressed."

The ruling brings to a close more than a month of intense of often dramatic legal manoeuvring, set off when Balsillie sought to buy the Coyotes out of Chapter 11 protection with a US$212.5 million offer that was conditional on being able to move the team to Hamilton. He had set a June 29 closing date for the sale in an attempt to speed through the process and have the club in place for the 2009-10 season.

But Baum rejected that timeline and several aspects of the arguments made by his lawyers, writing their claims that the league's refusal to allow the team to move does not violate antitrust law and permit "the sale free and clear of the relocation rights of the NHL."

He noted how busy this time of year is for the league, pointing out that commissioner Gary Bettman left last Tuesday's court hearing in Phoenix to attend Game 6 of the Stanley Cup final in Pittsburgh, and that "relocation applications create significant issues that mandate careful consideration by all affected parties. ..."

"This court is unconvinced that it should order that the NHL must decide the relocation application to meet the June 29th deadline."

Toss in the need to figure out how much the relocation fee for moving the Coyotes to Hamilton and the looming auction set for June 22, and Baum felt that: "Simply put, the court does not think there is sufficient time (14 days) for all of these issues to be fairly presented to the court given that deadline."

Typically, the NHL and Balsillie didn't see eye-to-eye on the ruling.

The NHL, which had argued that his bid was designed to skirt rules on the transfer of ownership and relocation and should be rejected for that reason, said it was "pleased" the decision "recognized the validity of league rules and our ability to apply them in a reasonable fashion."

The potential buyers it floated in court documents - including Toronto Argonauts owners Howard Sokolowski and David Cynamon, and Chicago White Sox and Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf - now have the opportunity to take control of a franchise that has lost over $300 million since the Winnipeg Jets moved to the desert in 1996.

Balsillie, shot down in his third attempt to buy an NHL team, took heart that Baum noted the approval bestowed on him by the league's board of governors for his attempted purchase of the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2006, and the judge's statement that barring the relocation issue, "the NHL can not object or withhold its consent to (Balsillie) becoming the controlling owner of the Phoenix Coyotes."

That led Balsillie to ask the NHL to work through the relocation application he recently filed.

"Jim Balsillie's bid to bring a seventh NHL team to Canada continues," spokesman Bill Walker said in a statement. "We still think there is enough time for the NHL to approve Mr. Balsillie's application and move the team to Hamilton by September. The court invited mediation on these issues and Mr. Balsillie is willing to participate in such mediation if the NHL is also willing to do so."

Given the bitterness with which this saga played out, there's little chance of that.

Hamilton, which had lined up behind Balsillie and was ready to welcome him with open arms, still clung to hope that it won't end up a jilted bridesmaid once more, that its hopes of becoming home to a seventh Canadian NHL team falling short just like several other previous attempts.

"There's still a window of opportunity here," Hamilton mayor Fred Eisenberger told the Hamilton Spectator. "The issue is still very much alive. It doesn't mean relocation can't happen. I've always expected it to be a bit of a roller coaster ride and it certainly is."

The ride began May 5, when Coyotes owner Jerry Moyes surprised the NHL and filed for Chapter 11 protection.

Coyotes owner Jerry Moyes aligned with Balsillie against the NHL, hoping to recoup about $100 million of the $300 million he put into the club. He must now fight off league attempts to discredit him as a legitimate creditor, something it did in court filings for the case.

The city of Glendale, which spent $183 million to build an arena for the Coyotes and argued that the franchise could not use bankruptcy to escape its lease, was relieved by the ruling, although it may be called upon to make concessions of up to $20 million annually to help keep the team around long term.

"Clearly the court recognized the significance of these issues and the unique interests of the City of Glendale and its taxpayers," the city said in a statement. "The court based its decision on the law and facts and not on countless rumours and innuendo regarding this matter."

All the sides were on pins and needles waiting for a ruling that was expected last week after a nearly seven-hour hearing June 9 ended with Baum telling the parties he wanted to sleep on the matter before deciding how they should proceed.

Baum offered hints of where his thinking was at during the hearing when he said he believed the NHL was entitled to a relocation fee if the Coyotes are moved to Hamilton, and put the league on notice that it may be ordered to work quickly to determine exactly how much that would be.

There were suggestions the sides go to mediation for the matter, but Thursday the court issued a notice saying Baum "will not be setting a separate hearing on the relocation and fee issue. It will be dealt with in the court's ruling from the (June 9) hearing."

That raised speculation a decision was imminent.

The relocation fee became critical since it would eat away from the money available to creditors, making Balsillie's bid virtually worthless to them should he decide not to pay it.

One of the lawyers for the co-CEO of BlackBerry maker Research in Motion let slip during the hearing that they believe the NHL would charge $100 million for the move - a figure redacted from court documents and not confirmed by the league.

There may also have been some sort of indemnity fees demanded by or due to the Toronto Maple Leafs and Buffalo Sabres as compensation for the incursion into their territory, and it's unclear whether Balsillie would have been willing to ante up.

Richard Rodier, his representative, noted outside the courthouse last Tuesday that the deal allows Balsillie to walk away if there's a relocation fee, but the billionaire said in a statement Wednesday that he was one step closer to his goal of a seventh NHL team in Canada.

The NHL had steadfastly stuck to its view that there can be no relocation fee discussion until both an owner and the move have been approved by its governors.

I don't think bankruptcy courts should be able to determine who has the legal right to a franchise, so.

[Evil Chase K]

Nothing, only a scumbag would be laughing at the greatest travesty in Hockey in years.

Yeah, Crosby didn't snub anyone.

Ummm....yes he did. He didn't snub everyone but he definitely didn't shake hands with all the Red Wings.

We didn't know the world revolved around Nicklas Lidstrom. Maybe he had to take his arthritis medicine in the locker room. To think Crosby did this on purpose is moronic.

2:38 mark. Pens reach center ice, stop and look back for Crosby. Lidstrom doesn't hesitate at all, just wants it over with.

He couldn't wait 15 more seconds for the word to get to Crosby, who hadn't even been able to hug his coach yet.

3:38 mark. Lidstrom and Draper cry a little bit and then go off the ice. Lidstrom = very sore loser.

3:55 mark. Crosby goes and shakes hands. Johan Franzen, who isn't a Lidstrom apologist, actually goes back to find Crosby to talk about the hit in the second period.

More than a few Penguins missed the handshake line. Funny that Draper doesn't defend his boyfriend by talking about all the other guys, too.

Source: ThePensBlog

Video being referenced:

Edited June 16, 2009 by Evil Chase K

[Clawson]

Yeah because that last post just reeks of being an unbiased opinion.

[Evil Chase K]

Doesn't have to be unbiased to be true.

"In 2008, the Red Wings spent exactly 2 minutes and 10 seconds celebrating, from the final whistle, to the first handshake. This past Friday, the Penguins celebrated for 2 minutes and 15 seconds between the same two points. A difference of 5 seconds. However, it took Crosby a total of 3 minutes and 35 seconds to join the line, a full minute and twenty seconds after his teammates started shaking hands.

And that is why the Red Wings are so ticked, because Sidney Crosby was 1 minute and 20 seconds late. Not because they lost the Stanley Cup, on home ice mind you, but because Crosby was 80 seconds late to take part in a ritual that has no set start time."

-- M.P. Kelly [The Hockey Writers]

"After the game, when I start shaking their hands, I did not think,'Who is there and who is not there?' " Hossa said. "After, I think about it and I thought that I did not remember shaking hands with Sid. I'm sure he was caught in the emotion and did not know where he was. I know him. He wouldn't do it deliberately. He is a great guy. I think he was just excited and caught up in the emotion." -- Marian Hossa

Edited June 16, 2009 by Evil Chase K

[Plubby]

lol, chase - I'm a neutral Avalanche fan Don't know why you're including me in a group of points about Red Wings supporters being whiners. I agree there wasn't really a snub, but surely you can't be in a happy gleeful state for over a minute and not think "hey where did they guys go?"

I know for a fact you'll come here with all your points about him being a talented player, a good leader and all that other bizzo, and it'll all be true. It's nice to be around this thread when your team is winning to show your happiness. But you weren't around saying any of those things when Crosby was third-man-in punching people in the balls, fighting people who hadn't dropped the gloves, and hadn't even been given three seconds to drop the gloves. You also weren't around when they were six points out of the playoffs and looking pretty dismal, you fair-weather fan, you. And I doubt you'll respond to these points now.

I'll never say Crosby is not a great player, but he needs to learn the meaning of class and that it's not a lightswitch that is turned on and off as he pleases.

[Pizza]

Avalanche fan rooting for the Red Wings? I know Crosbys kind of a douche but really?

[Evil Chase K]

You also weren't around when they were six points out of the playoffs and looking pretty dismal, you fair-weather fan, you. And I doubt you'll respond to these points now.

Yes, I'm clearly a fair-weather fan just because I did not post in this thread when the talk was 90% about teams I know nothing about. Not being able to see anything but Penguins games sucks for someone who legitimately likes hockey.

I've been a Pens fan as long as I can remember. I went to numerous games from 2000 to 2004 when it became impossible to get tickets on a regular basis. I can remember watching them play games where my only hope was that they wouldn't lose by more than 3 goals.

But somehow not posting on a message board makes me a fair weather fan? Right.

That said, I'm not arguing whether or not Crosby has a lot to learn. I'm merely stating the the Red Wings (and thus the media) making a big deal out of this is beyond sad. This is a non-issue and should be treated as such. But because it's something else the Crosby haters can use to justify why they don't like him it continues to get play. Nevermind the fact that it's fucking stupid and was blown completely out of proportion.

EDIT: I included you in the post because I assumed the "travesty" you spoke of was the Pens winning the Cup. If I wasn't such a "fair weather fan" and posted in this thread more often, maybe I wouldn't have made that mistake.

Edited June 17, 2009 by Evil Chase K

[Guest Mr. Potato Head]

Avalanche fan rooting for the Red Wings? I know Crosbys kind of a douche but really?

I really think we have to revoke Plubby's status as an Avs fan the more he goes on about it.

[Slogger]

Avalanche fan rooting for the Red Wings? I know Crosbys kind of a douche but really?

I really think we have to revoke Plubby's status as an Avs fan the more he goes on about it.

Being an Av's fan is punishment enough.

and all I heard from Pizzamonkey is that "Crosby is a douche"