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Hello Bear-Arms! I feeeel your pain! Let's indeed bring back the Whalers and quack the Mighty Ducks! Fly in the Winnipeg Jets and can the Coyotes! Shine on the Minnesota North Stars and dump Dallas ...
Memo to all hockey fans: NHL players are dumber than dirt
Memo to NHL hockey players: You are dumb as a box of rocks! Attached is latest Yahoo-sports article about frustrated players. What are you waiting for guys?! Schidt-can your idiot Union Boss and sign the CBA. Get back to work now while you still can
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NHL | NHL set to resume talks after complaint filed</TD></TR>
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<TD>By Tim Panaccio, Inquirer Staff Writer
The National Hockey League and the NHL Players' Association will return to the bargaining table today in Toronto.
Technically, the stakes have been raised. Two weeks ago, the league filed its first formal challenge to the lockout with the National Labor Relations Board in the United States. This will be the first bargaining session since March 17.
The complaint alleges that the union plans to penalize members who act as replacement players - specifically, members who have collected $5,000 to $10,000 a month in union pay during the lockout. Those members would have to reimburse the union for all money collected if they act as replacement players.
Bill Daly, the NHL's executive vice president and chief legal counsel, has hinted that there could be more filings, pending the outcome of the new talks.
"The NLRB charge was not intended to send a message," Daly said yesterday. "It was intended to vindicate our legal rights and remove all illegal impediments to viable business options. We will continue to be vigilant in safeguarding our rights."
The union met recently in Pebble Beach, Calif., amid speculation that its executive board has been working on a proposal that would carry a $42 million salary cap and $34 million minimum floor, along with a luxury tax at 50 cents on the dollar.
Ted Saskin, the union's senior director, said those figures, which have been circulated on the Internet, are fictitious.
"It's nothing close to accurate," Saskin said yesterday. "We are planning to have discussions [today]. We have not been preparing a proposal."
The feeling among players about ending the lockout appears to be one of apathy, since each session has ended with more questions than answers.
Typical was the Maple Leafs'
Darcy Tucker, who spoke to the Toronto Star after a charity hockey game Saturday night.
"My attitude about the whole thing is, 'Wake me up when it's over,' " Tucker told the newspaper. "I'm tired of the whole thing."
The sense of frustration is evident even between the two parties trying to end the lockout.
"I've stopped trying to forecast what might or might not happen," Daly said. "Certainly, we're going to continue to try to make a deal with the union that's fair to both sides but, more importantly, is good for the sport. And the sooner that can happen, the better for everyone."
The Islanders'
Michael Peca, who participated in the Toronto exhibition, thinks most union members will miss the 2005-06 season.
"I think that if the league starts with replacement players next year, there won't be a season for the guys in the union," Peca told reporters in Toronto. "I can't envision them starting with replacement players, failing in the process, and opening the doors to us. They have too much pride."
Contact staff writer Tim Panaccio at 215-854-2847 or
tpanaccio@phillynews.com.</TD></TR></T></TABLE>
