Everything you knew about NHL realignment for 2012-13 is now wrong
by John Fontana on Jan 6, 2012 8:02 PM EST
in National Hockey League
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It's been a very active day for the Tampa Bay Lightning, with player moves (goodbye, Blair Jones, Hello Brendan Mikkelson, and Piere-Cedric. Labrie), but it would seem a major, major item for the Lightning that has transpired wasn't something their front office was an active participant in.
It's breaking right now that the National Hockey League Players Association has voted against the NHL Realignment plan that was approved by the Board of Governors several weeks back.
The four conference system is not to be in place for 2012-13.
The Tampa Bay Lightning will not play the Maple Leafs, Senators, Canadiens, Sabres and Bruins as conference foes. They will continue playing the Panthers (as they would have), Capitals, Hurricanes and Winnipeg Jets until further notice.
This story is still in the breaking stages, but Greg Wyshynski of Puck Daddy did make an interesting statement on Twitter, pointing to NHLPA president Donald S. Fehr and how Fehr may be showing his own strength with this move.
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Mixed feelings on this...
As a Lightning fan, I’m happy about it, simply because I hated the new realignment plan.. both of the Florida teams were afterthoughts (as it seemed to me).
But as a hockey fan, it’s a bit…concerning… with the upcoming CBA talks. Fehr (as a baseball fan, I HATE that man, he’s a power hungry bottom dwelling scum sucker) will undoubtedly try to use this to the unions advantage (which I understand is a proper negotiating tactic). But I do NOT want another lockout/strike scenario. The last one did enough damage to the league and they have worked very hard to get the fans back…another lockout or strike this soon after the last one could do irreparable damage to the sport I love.
"If you intend to kick a tiger in the ass, you damn well better have a plan in place for dealing with his teeth." Tom Clancy
by Tina Robinson on Jan 6, 2012 8:18 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
If we miss next season, I will not be a happy camper
The height of my excitement over hockey as a teenager came in the 2004 playoffs, as I’m sure is unsurprising. Then it was gone for a year, and it was another four or five before we get to a game that I remember watching. That excitement is back, certainly deeper than it’s ever been before. Don’t take it away again.
If I cared more about my UNC side, I'd call myself "Tar Volon," and that'd be awesome.
Bolts, Canes, Preds (now in different conferences!). Canes mini-STH. Southern hockey solidarity
Rocky Top Talk
by Incipient_Senescence on Jan 6, 2012 10:38 PM EST reply actions
There is absolutely no way in hell we are losing another season.
Everyone around the league says the absolute worst-case scenario is a deal in December.
by Kasey Fairchild on Jan 7, 2012 1:52 AM EST up reply actions
That would be horrible enough.
The football and basketball lockouts were a disaster this past year, but I don’t think hockey would be able to rebound afterward nearly as well as either. A december deal would be pretty ugh.
I love Casey Fossum. Now try and take me seriously.
Follow @steveslow
by Steve Slowinski on Jan 7, 2012 9:30 AM EST up reply actions
agree
If I cared more about my UNC side, I'd call myself "Tar Volon," and that'd be awesome.
Bolts, Canes, Preds (now in different conferences!). Canes mini-STH. Southern hockey solidarity
Rocky Top Talk
by Incipient_Senescence on Jan 7, 2012 3:40 PM EST up reply actions
Lets talk from experience too — Fehr may play hardball, but he knows that epic work-stoppages do more damage than good. He oversaw the Baseball lockout tha twiped out the 1994 playoffs and ran into 1995, which was horrible for the game.
At the same time, this is politics. Don is not Bob Goodenow, nor other NHLPA directors of recent who have rolled over or conceded directly to the owners (or grandstanded with flair before conceding). He’s the strongest union head the league has dealt with in a while. Does that make this war? Not if the league itself approaches things in good faith.
This realignment plan was not done in good faith, IMHO. It was hatched in the ownership realm, vetted among the Board of Governors, approved by the board and then sent to the players in a “this is how it will be” fashion. That’s not good faith, that’s not a business partnership.
Look through the archives here at Raw Charge, I was very, VERY anti-player in 2004. Me stating pro-Union stuff is a big departure from my attacks on Goodenow and specific players for being sheep in 2004.
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by John Fontana on Jan 7, 2012 10:52 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs
No need to panic just yet
Unless you simply enjoy panicking. There’s still the second half of this season to complain about before we need to start fussing about the CBA talks. That crap will start soon enough and hang around long enough that I don’t particularly want to start getting sick of it in January.
R.I.P. Belak, Rypien, Boogaard, Lokomotiv.
Rakastan suuria maalivahteja Skandinaviasta.
Love is but a song we sing And fear's the way we die.
sorry
panic has kinda been the default for me recently
If I cared more about my UNC side, I'd call myself "Tar Volon," and that'd be awesome.
Bolts, Canes, Preds (now in different conferences!). Canes mini-STH. Southern hockey solidarity
Rocky Top Talk
by Incipient_Senescence on Jan 7, 2012 3:41 PM EST up reply actions
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