SPORT-SCAN DAILY BRIEF NHL 8/23/2012

Boston Bruins 639018 Bruins players hopeful for labor resolution 639019 Bruins hold out hope for deal 

Calgary Flames 639020 Flames prepare for worst as lockout looms 

Colorado Avalanche 639021 Former Avs defenseman Kyle Quincey and other NHL

players train at DU 639022 Sports dream of Aurora shooting victim to be fulfilled 

Columbus Blue Jackets 639023 NHL notebook: League, union meet for only few hours 

Dallas Stars 639024 Three Stars prospects invited to Rookie Showcase in

Toronto 639025 Stars' Eric Nystrom set pace last season that will be tough to

match 

Detroit Red Wings 639026 NHL lockout could jeopardize Winter Classic at Michigan

Stadium 639027 A fired-up Johan Franzen could be elite scorer for Red

Wings 639028 Ex-Red Wings star Sergei Fedorov would like to play

hockey, but has 'moved on' 639029 Henrik Zetterberg bringing Royal Swedish Snowball treats to

metro Detroit 639030 Former Red Wing Kris Draper throws first pitch at Loons

game, brings hockey talk to Dow Diamond 639031 Former Red Wings' great Sergei Fedorov settling into new

job as GM of Russian team 

Edmonton Oilers 639032 Oilers prospect Yakupov fighting leg infection after tumbling

off treadmill 639033 Oilers lock up Taylor Hall with seven-year, $42-million

contract extension 639034 Oilers’ Hall happy with shoulder recovery progress 639035 Edmonton Oilers sign Hall to 7 year extension 

Los Angeles Kings 639036 Cup still on the move 

Minnesota Wild 639037 Wild single-game ticket information 

Montreal Canadiens 639038 Gorges speaks out at NHLPA meeting 

NHL 639039 NHL labor talks continue, but sides remain far apart 639040 NHL commissioner, union to hold labor talks Thursday 639041 CHL president: No formal attempt to form players'

association 

Philadelphia Flyers 639042 NHL Notes: Niittyamki signs in Finland 

Phoenix Coyotes 639043 Phoenix Coyotes' single-game tickets go on sale 

St Louis Blues 639044 MacInnis highlights Blues' roster for alumni game 

Tampa Bay Lightning 639045 Ex-Lightning player Paul Ranger signs with AHL team 

Toronto Maple Leafs 639046 NHL, players seem to lack urgency in labour talks 639047 Leafs’ Korbinian Holzer ready to make professional journey 

Vancouver Canucks 639048 Former Canucks centre Morrison caught between CBA rock and UFA hard place 

Websites 639050 ESPN / 639051 NBCSports.com / 639052 NBCSports.com / 639053 NBCSports.com / 639054 NBCSports.com / 639055 NBCSports.com / 639056 Spector on Hall: The gold standard 639057 Sportsnet.ca / Spector on CHL: PA raising important

questions 

Winnipeg Jets 639049 Jaffray sticking with IceCaps — and maybe Jets? SPORT-SCAN, INC. 941-284-4129

639018 Boston Bruins

Bruins players hopeful for labor resolution

Fluto Shinzawa

LOWELL – Milan Lucic, Dennis Seidenberg, Tuukka Rask, Johnny Boychuk, and Mike Mottau have gathered at LeLacheur Park to participate in the left wing’s annual charity softball game. They hope there will be bigger team gatherings to come.

“Hopefully we can get an agreement done,” Boychuk said. “It’s too bad we’re at where we’re at. But as teammates, you stick together. We’ll get through this. Hopefully we’ll be back sooner than later.”

Seidenberg was the only one of the five to commit to an immediate alternate plan if 2012-13 hits the skids. Yanick Seidenberg, the defenseman’s younger brother, plays for Mannheim in Germany. Dennis Seidenberg said he’d like to play with his brother if dressing for a club other than the Bruins is the only alternative.

“It would be nice to play with him if it gets to that point,” Seidenberg said. “But for now, I haven’t really put enough thought into it to say what I’m going to do.”

Rask is planning to attend NHLPA meetings in Toronto on Thursday.

Boston Globe LOADED: 08.23.2012

639019 Boston Bruins

Bruins hold out hope for deal

By Steve Conroy

LOWELL — Dennis Seidenberg would like to play some day with his younger brother Yannic, who is a defenseman for the Mannheim Eagles in Germany.

Just not right now.

Seidenberg, who participated in Milan Lucic’s Rock and Jock celebrity softball game at LeLacheur Park last night, admitted he’s been pondering such a possibility for the upcoming season as the NHL and the Players’ Association remain far apart with less than a month before the current collective bargaining agreement expires Sept. 15.

“It would be nice to play with him again, but I hope it doesn’t happen,” the Bruins defenseman said with a laugh.

Seidenberg was just a young player when the league shut down for the entire 2004-05 season, and he spent that year playing for the Philadelphia Flyers’ AHL affiliate. He admits he didn’t pay much attention to what was going on during the negotiations back then, but he’s more in tune this time around — not that he’s enjoying what he’s hearing.

The league’s initial proposal called for, among other things, a 24 percent reduction in player salaries that would result from a lower percentage of hockey-related revenues. The players responded with a proposal of their own that would call for better revenue-sharing between the haves and have-nots of the league — a proposal that the league didn’t seem to consider too seriously, at least not yet. The two sides are scheduled to get back to the table today.

“It’s not fun listening to all that stuff that’s going on in the meetings and waiting for stuff to happen,” Seidenberg said. “But we stand together as a players’ union and we’ll fight for what we think is fair. And hopefully we’ll get something done pretty soon.”

Lucic hasn’t given much thought to an alternative plan if the league locks the players out.

“Hopefully it gets resolved sooner rather than later. But from a players standpoint and a union standpoint, we’re just trying to make sure we get a fair deal and whatever’s right is right,” Lucic said.

“But, like I said, hopefully it gets resolved sooner rather than later because the feedback I’m getting from fans is that they can’t wait for Bruins hockey to start.”

Tuukka Rask plans to attend players meetings today in Toronto, where he should get a better handle on things. But he liked the union’s response to the league’s harsh initial proposal.

“I thought when I read the proposal that we made, it made sense and it was a pretty smart move. We just have to wait for the owners to respond and see what they think about it,” said Rask, who has not given much thought to playing overseas just yet.

While the players remained hopeful that they wouldn’t lose time to a labor dispute, there’s no stopping the clock. Many Bruins gather to skate in Wilmington a couple of weeks before training camp starts, but it’s not clear if that will happen this year. Lucic vowed that the players will be getting together on the ice somewhere.

“I’ve talked to a lot of guys on the team, and a lot of them are coming back — especially the ones with kids going to school — as if everything’s going to plan,” Lucic said. “But the CBA only goes to the 15th, so we don’t have that much time, even if we do start in Wilmington.

“But definitely us guys who are on the Bruins and are here in Boston, we definitely will be skating together until we resolve whatever needs to be resolved.”

Boston Herald LOADED: 08.23.2012

639020 Calgary Flames

Flames prepare for worst as lockout looms

By Eric Francis

Without a resolution in sight, it's no secret there will be plenty of collateral damage when the NHL's collective bargaining agreement expires Sept 15.

But while it will take the better part of a month before many stakeholders' livelihoods are affected by the impending lockout, the Sun has learned Flames front-office employees will likely be amongst the first to pay a price.

Full-time Flames staffers and contract workers have recently been put on notice they may be in line for salary cuts -- some coming as early as early as Sept. 16.

Close to 175 full-time employees of the Flames, which includes those running the Calgary Hitmen and Roughnecks, will learn more about their financial fate in the next handful of days as the club unveils a plan that will see pay-cuts of various degrees levied.

"We have a contingency plan in place -- it would be stupid of us not to," confirmed Flames president and CEO Ken King, adding quickly that such a contingency plan doesn't presuppose there will be a lockout.

"What we would attempt to do is affect as few people as possible and as minimally as possible. The plan is quite generous in that some people it won't affect at all."

King confirmed no one employed by the Stampeders football club, which the Flames also own, will be subjected to CBA-related pay cuts.

As an alternative, employees have been given the option of taking a sabbatical or prolonged leave of absence -- without pay -- with guarantees their job will be waiting for them upon their return.

There has never been any doubt another NHL work stoppage would affect countless jobs linked directly and indirectly to the hockey world.

Several other NHL teams are expected to make similar cuts or even eliminate jobs as the likely lockout extends through October, but news of the Flames' pending pay-cuts is the first of its kind this time around.

During the last lockout eight years ago, the Flames acted similarly, with many staffers taking a 40% pay-cut to stay with the team while the Dome stayed dark the entire 2004/05 season.

After being informed of a pending clawback in salary, several current Flames employees were of the belief as recently as Wednesday that a blanket policy would see almost all Flames employees taking another 40% hit.

King said that's nowhere close to being the case this time around, which he will soon communicate to his staff.

"No one in our organization will face that kind of a cutback at all," insisted King, who employs 1,200 part-timers whose jobs largely revolve around game nights that won't be happening anytime soon.

"In the event there are events that don't take place, those part-timers will have less hours. Some full-time people won't be affected at all as their assignments are such they can be redeployed or still be productive and remain useful for themselves and us.

"We have given (the employees) a heads-up and we have refined the plan and will communicate it soon. It will be different for every pay level and job description."

While early frustration over the early contract impasse between the league and its players has fans and media types in full finger-pointing mode, the reality is that the suspension of the NHL's operations essentially forces teams like the Flames to slash expenses, as it's unknown when we'll see NHL hockey again.

"It's not the best situation, but few, if any, will say it's unfair when it's unveiled," said King.

"It's a full-on fairness approach from our standpoint."

Funny, as nothing seems fair about another work-stoppage, especially given how many innocent victims there will be as this war between millionaires and billionaires carries on.

Calgary Sun: LOADED: 08.23.2012

639021 Colorado Avalanche

Former Avs defenseman Kyle Quincey and other NHL players train at DU

By Mike Chambers

\

Former Avalanche defenseman Kyle Quincey of the Detroit Red Wings is participating in this week's University of Denver alumni pro camp, which is designed to prepare alumni living in the area for the coming season. With regard to the NHL, the question is: Will there be a season?

"We're all planning on starting on time, but if it doesn't happen, we're all prepared," Quincey said. "Prepare for the worst, hope for the best."

The NHL's collective bargaining agreement expires Sept. 15, and commissioner Gary Bettman has said the owners aren't prepared to begin the season without a new CBA. Thus, just as training camp is scheduled to begin, the owners might lock out the players for the second NHL work stoppage in eight years.

Quincey,

whom Colorado traded Feb. 21 in the three-team deal that brought forward Steve Downie to Denver, attended last week's negotiation sessions between the NHL and the NHL Players' Association at the union's office in Toronto. Quincey maintains a Denver-area home.

"We came up with a great proposal. I've never been through this before, but I feel so unified with the guys," Quincey said at Magness Arena. "It's pretty amazing how intelligent and knowledgeable all the guys are. They understand the proposal, the money we are giving back and the overall give-and-take that we proposed. I honestly feel that the proposal we made last Tuesday was a very good one."

The NHLPA's proposal was a counter from the owner's original plan to increase ownership revenue and stabilize other economic aspects of the game. The players introduced a revenue-sharing plan that would help struggling teams, but Bettman slammed the counterproposal by calling it incomplete and said the sides are far apart.

Bettman and NHLPA executive Donald Fehr are scheduled to meet Thursday morning in Toronto.

"We're kind of at a standstill," Quin- cey said.

Center Tyler Bozak of the Toronto Maple Leafs and goalie Richard Bachman of the Dallas Stars also are participating in DU's third offseason pro camp. Bozak played at DU, and Bachman grew up in Highlands Ranch before starring at Colorado College.

"You want it to be fair both ways," Bozak said. "You want to come to an agreement, and obviously it hasn't gone too well so far. Hopefully, sooner or later we can get going. I've spent the whole summer thinking we're going to start on time."

Said Bachman: "There's definitely enough time to get something done. I do think there is time, and I do think there is wiggle room to make it happen."

Denver Post: LOADED: 08.23.2012

639022 Colorado Avalanche

Sports dream of Aurora shooting victim to be fulfilled

A serving of sports commentary each weekday come noontime

By Benjamin Hochman

Jessica Ghawi

It just made so much sense. Who thinks like this?

My friend Jessica called me while the wildfires ignited our state, incinerating homes in the sweep of a flame.

Here was her idea:

Everyone is focused on the obvious basics right now, helping these people get a new home, new clothes, a new start. But what about the months after? These Colorado kids would look to sports for normalcy, for therapy. And their sports equipment was gone.

Jessica's idea was to gather used sporting goods for these kids. How thoughtful! How creative! Just so cool!

Jessica Ghawi was one of those killed in the Aurora theater shooting. She was 24. She was a young sports journalist whose professional name was Jessica Redfield. And I'll tell you, she was fueled by her love of sports — mainly her main squeeze, hockey. Most people aren't as passionate about anything as she was about hockey, from the intricacies of strategies to the styles of helmets and haircuts. She breathed the game.

So check this out — on Saturday Sept. 8 at the Pepsi Center parking lot, there will be a sports equipment drive for people to donate new and gently used items for the wildfire victims. It will start at 7 a.m. and go until noon. Kroenke Sports Charities, along with Jessica's family, are carrying out her dream.

"She knew what an important role sports played in communities," said Jay Meloff, her boyfriend. "She knew that sports are something that can really help kids bounce back, give them something to look forward to even in the worst of circumstances. Jessi was the most incredible giver I've ever met, and she was always looking to help others even when it wasn't in her best interest to help. Her main focus was on making sure that all these families that lost everything had the little things."

According to a news release from Kroenke Sports, the equipment donations (or cash donations) will be handled by A Precious Child, a local non-profit organization, and its GiveSports program (www.apreciouschild.org). All donations are tax deductible.

"We want all children to be given the chance to reap the rewards of playing sports. The children we serve would never have the opportunity to participate in sports due to family misfortune and poverty without the help of our generous community," Carina Martin, executive director and founder of A Precious Child, said in a statement. "We hope everyone will help give the gift of sports to precious children in Colorado."

This whole thing is just so beautiful. Jessica's idea is coming to fruition. Of course, it's just heartbreaking that she won't be here to see it. But her legacy lives on. And that's all we can do, carry on the things that made Jessi Jessi — notably her zest for living life and for making people smile. Colorado kids who never met her will be forever touched by her, thanks to her idea that day she called me.

Denver Post: LOADED: 08.23.2012

639023 Columbus Blue Jackets

NHL notebook: League, union meet for only few hours

The current NHL collective bargaining agreement expires Sept. 15, which is 3 1/2 weeks from today. On that day, the league will go dormant, streams will cease to flow and the sun will not shine in the Western Hemisphere.

But the major league's loss could, once again, be the minor league's gain, with scores of players on two-way deals being shipped to the American Hockey League to play during the lockout. This includes some of the top young player still on entry-level deals, and it's exactly what happened during the 2004-05 lockout when members of the 2003 and 2004 draft classes played in the AHL.

The Blue Jackets, for instance, could send forwards Cam Atkinson and Ryan Johansen, and defensemen Tim Erixon and John Moore to their minor-league affiliate in Springfield, Mass. Other players on two-way deals -- such as veterans Cody Bass, Ryan Russell, etc. -- would either have to clear waivers to join the AHL or they could sign temporary AHL deals to keep playing.

Defenseman Ryan Murray cannot play in the AHL, as he's too young. In the event of a lockout, the Blue Jackets would send him back to his junior club in Everett (WHL). It's likely Murray would be recalled to Columbus for training camp once the lockout was settled.

Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky is heading into the final season of his entry-level contract, but he's dressed for so many games the first two seasons with Philadelphia that he'd have to clear waivers to go to the minors. Not going to happen.

Let's hope this blog entry is pointless in a month.

-- Aaron Portzline

By Aaron Portzline

The top two executives from both the NHL and NHL Players’ Association met for two hours yesterday morning in Toronto, an unexpected gathering aimed at reviewing and reiterating the proposals each side has made toward a new collective-bargaining agreement.

The scheduled meeting for the afternoon was canceled, but neither side portrayed it as a setback. They’re scheduled to meet again this morning.

“More than anything else, it was to review where we are in the process, where we’ve come from, where we are with the various proposals, and to determine how to move the process forward in the best way possible,” NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly told the Canadian Press.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and Daly represented the league yesterday, while the union was represented by executive director Donald Fehr and his brother, special counsel Steve Fehr.

There was no word on exactly why the afternoon negotiating session was scuttled.

“It’s an ordinary sign, one of the normal things that happens in bargaining,” Donald Fehr told TSN, a Canadian sports network. “You can probably observe that there is some degree of frustration going on by the parties, but that doesn’t surprise anybody.”

The NHL’s proposal calls for significant salary cuts for the players — from 57 percent of the league’s revenue to 43 percent — as well as multiple contract limitations, including a five-year cap on term. It also would push unrestricted free agency — currently at 25 years of age — back until a player has spent 10 seasons in the NHL.

The union is stressing revenue sharing as a way to stabilize the league and prevent future work stoppages. The players proposed a system by which they and the league’s most profitable franchises would contribute to a fund of nearly $250 million to provide annual assistance to the league’s struggling clubs, including the Blue Jackets. It also would set aside $100 million in emergency funds for use by clubs.

Oilers’ Hall gets extension

Taylor Hall is in for the long haul in Edmonton after the Oilers signed the 20-year-old forward to a seven-year, $42 million contract extension.

Hall was the first overall pick in the 2010 draft and has since become a key fixture on the Oilers’ youthful top line, alongside fellow first overall pick Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Jordan Eberle.

Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 08.23.2012

639024 Dallas Stars

Three Stars prospects invited to Rookie Showcase in Toronto

MIKE HEIKA

The Stars have had three of their prospect invited to the NHLPA Rookie Showcase, which will be held in the Toronto area Aug. 28. Goalie Jack Campbell, defenseman Jamie Oleksiak and forward Reilly Smith are expected to participate.

Here is the press release:

MEDIA ADVISORY:

2012 NHLPA ROOKIE SHOWCASE

TORONTO, ON (August 22, 2012) – Thirty of the top NHL rookie prospects will gather outside of Toronto at the MasterCard Centre on Tuesday, August 28 for the 2012 NHLPA Rookie Showcase. Now in its fourth year, this unique event will provide Panini America and Upper Deck – the two official trading card partners of the NHLPA and the NHL – with an exclusive opportunity to photograph many of the game’s top young prospects for the first time in their official NHL team uniforms, in shots that will be used for upcoming trading card and memorabilia launches.

The 30 NHL rookie prospects in attendance for the 2012 NHLPA Rookie Showcase will be available for media scrums prior to the event at approximately 9:00 AM.

WHAT: 2012 NHLPA Rookie Showcase Media Availability

WHO: NHL prospects scheduled to be in attendance include:

Tyson Barrie (Avalanche), Nathan Beaulieu (Canadiens), Beau Bennett (Penguins), Jack Campbell (Stars), Charlie Coyle (Wild), Emerson Etem (Ducks), Alex Galchenyuk (Canadiens), Dougie Hamilton (Bruins), Quinton Howden (Panthers), Tomas Jurco (Red Wings), Jared Knight (Bruins), Leo Komarov (Maple Leafs), Chris Kreider (Rangers), Scott Laughton (Flyers), Joe Morrow (Penguins), Ryan Murphy (Hurricanes), Ryan Murray (Blue Jackets), Brock Nelson (Islanders), Jamie Oleksiak (Stars), Griffin Reinhart (Islanders), Morgan Rielly (Maple Leafs), Justin Schultz (Oilers), Jaden Schwartz (Blues), Reilly Smith (Stars), Ryan Spooner (Bruins), Jarred Tinordi (Canadiens), Tyler Toffoli (Kings), Mark Visentin (Coyotes), Austin Watson (Predators) and Nail Yakupov (Oilers).

Dallas Morning News LOADED: 08.23.2012

639025 Dallas Stars

Stars' Eric Nystrom set pace last season that will be tough to match

MIKE HEIKA

We’ll take a look at the top 30 players in the Stars system (the 23 likely to make the opening roster, plus seven more who could have a chance to play in the NHL this season) over the next month in our annual Player Profiles. Today, we look at winger Eric Nystrom

Winger Eric Nystrom

Born: Feb. 14, 1983 in Syosset, NY (29)

HT: 6-1, Wt: 193

Shoots: Left

Acquired: In a trade with Minnesota on Oct. 12, 2011.

Last season: 74 GP _ 16G _ 5A _ 21Pts _ -10 _ 13:44

Contract status: In third year of three-year contract that averages $1.4 million a season. He will make $1.4 million this season.

Eric Nystrom was a heck of a pick-up for the Stars last season -- and not just because he scored a career-high 16 goals.

Nystrom was a good find, because the Stars were looking for any player to push them up over the NHL’s required salary floor, and he turned out to be much more than that. He is a speedy, gritty, checking winger who gives Dallas some needed energy.

Oh yeah, and the goals don’t hurt either.

Nystrom’s 16 goals placed him fifth on the team, and while averaging 13:44 in average ice time, that’s pretty darned impressive. The problem is that it is probably unlikely he will come close to those totals again. In the prime of his career and gaining confidence in his shooting touch, Nystrom certainly will create scoring opportunities (his 102 shots on goal were 11 on the team last season), but his history says that he’s just not going to keep that clip up. His previous best season was 11 goals for Calgary in 82 games in 2009-10, and he dropped to just four in 82 games with Minnesota in 2010-11.

That last season with the Wild was one of the reasons Nystrom was available in an October trade. After his big year in Calgary, he signed a three-year free agent contract with Minnesota. He finished with just four goals and was a team-worst minus-16. He then didn’t make the NHL roster out of training camp and was sent to the AHL last fall.

The Wild sent him through recall waivers, so any team could have had him at half his salary, and nobody claimed him. The Stars needed him at full salary, which is why they made the trade (for “future considerations,’’ which ended up being nothing).

Now, that whole struggle gave Dallas a very motivated player, and it showed when Nystrom scored 10 goals in his first 21 games with the Stars. He was flying up and down the ice, tossing shots on goal, and he had some very pretty goals in that stretch. But, as the season wore on, he settled into a more defensive groove and finished with six goals in the final 53 games.

That’s probably the pace the Stars should expect this season, but there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. Nystrom contributes in a lot of ways. He gets up and down the left wing with speed and physicality. He had 176 hits last season, which ranked fourth on the Stars, and he delivers some bone-crushers when he gets moving. That will be a huge need on the Stars this season. Depending on how Brenden Morrow’s neck/back feel, and depending on who they want to use Jamie Benn (possibly toning down some of his physicality), Nystrom could be the most physical forward on the team.

He appears pretty much linked to Vernon Fiddler right now, and there’s also nothing wrong with that. Some more advanced analystics say that the line of Nystrom-Fiddler-Radek Dvorak was overexposed, and they each did end up a double digit minus last season. That means they shouldn’t face the best line the opposition tosses out there, but I still think Nystrom and Fiddler fill a huge need as checkers. The two seem to have good chemistry, and they clearly bring veteran smarts to the table. And whether the coaches

decide to put Ryan Garbutt or Tomad Vincour on the right wing (or possibly a prospect), that line should have speed and energy.

In fact, you have to wonder if that will be a fourth line, as so many of us have pondered. Coaches love a line that can bring some heat to the other team’s best players, and that means a line with Nystrom and Fiddler could find its way on the ice a lot. That could mean that a second line centered by Derek Roy or a third line centered by Cody Eakin or Tom Wandell could see its minutes trimmed a bit.

It’s a good problem to have, obviously, but it just doesn’t seem that a fourth line with Fiddler and Nystrom will be used as a normal fourth line _ and that’s a strong statement for Nystrom. Could he slide up the lineup or garner any power play time? He didn’t do that last season, so it’s difficult to think he will do it when Dallas added so much more top-end skill. Plus, that’s the kind of element that youngsters like Matt Fraser, Reilly Smith, Scott Glennie and Alex Chiasson bring, so Nystrom’s role is pretty much set on the team.

Again, though, that doesn’t mean it’s a small role. In addition to being a solid player on the ice, Nystrom is a fountain of energy off the ice. He is optimistic, excited, and energized -- and a team needs that during an 82 game season. With Dallas losing players like Steve Ott and Adam Burish, Nystrom should step into a significant leadership role.

The Stars would love for Loui Eriksson and Jamie Benn to take some of that role, but I’m not sure they’re ready for it. Players like Ray Whitney and Jaromir Jagr will probably offer quieter leadership. But Nystrom can be a lightning rod if he wants to be, and he has filled that role on past teams.

So the future looks good for Nystrom. He said he felt like he found a home with the Stars last season, and we’ll see if that’s true this season, because he seems to be a good fit for where the Stars are headed.

Dallas Morning News LOADED: 08.23.2012

639026 Detroit Red Wings

NHL lockout could jeopardize Winter Classic at Michigan Stadium

Detroit Free Press Staff

During his speech to the Economic Club, Brandon talked about the NHL labor situation. He hopes Michigan Stadium will host the Winter Classic this year and that any lockout is over by then. But if it’s canceled, he hopes the NHL considers U-M again for next season.

He said U-M will not have the rink if the Jan. 1 Classic is canceled because it involves too much prep for them to host their own game there.

“Michigan Stadium has been dark and cold and barren every New Year’s Day for the last 80 years, so we’re kind of used to that,” he said. “If something happens and they can’t play the game, it’ll be the way it’s always been.”

Detroit Free Press LOADED: 08.23.2012

639027 Detroit Red Wings

A fired-up Johan Franzen could be elite scorer for Red Wings

By Helene St. James

Deep into the NHL off-season, it's time to take an analytical look at individual Red Wings and assess expectations for the coming season. Today's focal point: forward Johan Franzen.

Looking at numbers: 29 goals, 27 assists, 56 points, plus-23 in 77 games in 2011-12.

Looking at money: Salary for 2012-13 is $5.25 million; 11-year, $43.5-million deal runs through 2019-20 at average cap hit of $3.9 million.

Looking back: Franzen got mad in training camp when reporters asked about his need to improve after a slow finish to the previous season. He had seven points in the first five games -- then went quiet for six, a snapshot of the inconsistency that marked another season. He had one point, a goal, in five playoff games, and that was because the puck went in off his skate.

Looking ahead: When he wants, Franzen can be unstoppable -- he's a 6-foot-3, 220-pound bulldozer with a sweet finishing touch. He had 34 goals in 71 games in '08-09, prompting the lifetime contract, which looked even better when he followed up with a playoff performance that garnered Conn Smythe talk.

Franzen lost most of the following season to a knee injury, but stormed back in the spring and delivered 18 points in 12 playoff games in 2010. Since then, he has been noticeable for his capriciousness -- so dominant some nights, so disinterested others. Henrik Zetterberg has noted that Franzen plays better angry. Coach Mike Babcock has said that when Franzen is on top of his game, he is as good as anyone in hockey. He usually plays wing, but he's at ease in the middle, and the Wings like using him there against big opposing centers like Joe Thornton.

Babcock also has admitted he challenges Franzen to be an elite player, to be harder around the net. Franzen should have been a 40-goal scorer last season after spending most of it playing with Pavel Datsyuk and averaging nearly 3 minutes a game on the power play.

Franzen, 32, isn't the only enigma in the NHL, and his salary-cap hit is very reasonable, which gives him high value in a potential trade for the top-four defenseman the Wings so badly need. At the same time, if Franzen can play with a touch more consistency in the regular season and return to his old assertive ways in the playoffs, he'd be a great bargain.

Detroit Free Press LOADED: 08.23.2012

639028 Detroit Red Wings

Ex-Red Wings star Sergei Fedorov would like to play hockey, but has 'moved on'

Brian Manzullo

Realistically, at 42 years old, Sergei Fedorov might still have a little more hockey in him.

But after 26 seasons of pro hockey (18 in the NHL and 13 with the Red Wings), the Russian called it quits last spring after a stint with the Kontinental Hockey League's Magnitogorsk Metallurg -- and he means it.

IIHF.com recently caught up with Fedorov, who recently accepted the position of general manager of the KHL's CSKA Moscow, the team he played for during his Soviet years.

Fedorov played for the Wings from 1990-03, helping the team win three Stanley Cups and becoming the first European to win the Hart Trophy as the NHL's MVP in 1993. He finished his NHL career with 1,179 points.

Here's some excerpts from the interview:

Sergei, you look in great shape. Could you still play? "I’d like to play. Could I? That’s the question. ... Yes, I would want to play, but from the health standpoint it wouldn’t be a wise thing to do. So now I have moved on."

One of the most frequent trivia questions in hockey is “Who was the first European player to win the NHL’s MVP honors”. Does it make you proud? "Today, this is all at the back of my mind. I am very busy with my current job, with the team. But looking back, it was good season. I thought I played well, I didn’t think I played that great. But I played a lot, 28-29 minutes per game as a forward, so I guess I must have had a good season."

Since you played pro for 26 consecutive seasons and retired last spring, you have had no opportunity to gain managerial experience. What made you take this job, probably the most pressure-filled in the KHL? "Probably my understanding what needs to be done with CSKA Moscow, primarily with the KHL team. So from the hockey perspective, it was an easy decision to take this job. From the administrative side, it wasn’t easy. But I have good staff, good people around me and they help me a lot. "

Detroit Free Press LOADED: 08.23.2012

639029 Detroit Red Wings

Henrik Zetterberg bringing Royal Swedish Snowball treats to metro Detroit

By Sylvia Rector

Detroit Red Wing Henrik Zetterberg is helping bring a traditional European treat — Royal Swedish Snowballs — to the United States in a cooperative arrangement with Just Baked, a Livonia-based specialty cupcake company.

The treats — sold for more than 100 years in Sweden — consist of a center of marshmallow-like vanilla crème covered in chocolate and sprinkled with coconut so they resemble snowballs. Zetterberg says they were one of his favorite childhood desserts.

The snowballs will make their U.S. debut on Sept. 5 at all 12 Just Baked cupcake shops. From noon to 1 p.m., Zetterberg will be at the Royal Oak shop, 32828 Woodward, to autograph Royal Swedish Snowball T-shirts for the first 50 people who buy the treats during his visit. No other merchandise will be signed.

He is a partner with Jan Jutbo, owner and CEO of the Royal Swedish Snowballs company, who has worked for years to bring the product to the U.S. They will be produced in the U.S. by Just Baked at its Livonia production facility, according to Just Baked founder Pam Turkin.

The snowballs will be sold in four-packs and six-packs for $5.99 and $8.99 respectively.

Detroit Free Press LOADED: 08.23.2012

639030 Detroit Red Wings

Former Red Wing Kris Draper throws first pitch at Loons game, brings hockey talk to Dow Diamond

Erica Perdue

MIDLAND, MI — It had been four years since former Detroit Red Wing forward Kris Draper threw out the first pitch at a ball park, but Wednesday night he did just that at Dow Diamond before the start of the Great Lakes Loons game against the Lansing Lugnuts.

Draper was at the game as a part of the Loons Detroit Red Wings Legends Series.

"I've been putting some pressure on myself about the first pitch. I told them I need about 10 or 15 minutes to warm up," Draper said laughing before he went on the field.

He threw the pitch directly into the catcher's mitt while the crowd cheered him on.

"I can't say enough about Dow Diamond," Draper said, adding that it was his first time at the ballpark.

The hockey legend said if he were out playing in the field, he would most likely be at second base.

"Growing up, I was a second baseman. "

Draper said he has thrown pitches at Tigers Stadium and at Comerica Park before Detroit Tigers games. After the Red Wings won the Stanley Cup in 2008, he and Brian Rafalski threw the first pitches with the Cup nearby.

"I miss hockey a lot," said Draper, who retired at the end of the 2010-11 hockey season.

"I had 18 years playing in Detroit and four Stanley Cups. It was a memorable experience and I was able to walk away from the game after playing for 20 years.

"Detroit turned into my home in those 18 years."

Draper is now a special assistant to Red Wings General Manager Ken Holland.

"We talk a lot of hockey and watch a lot of hockey," Draper joked.

"I'm getting educated on this end of the sport. (Holland) calls it the 'University of Detroit Red Wings' for me, which is true.

"My first year as a special assistant was really good. I'm still growing in that role and learning the business side of it all."

Draper said he sat in on a contract negotiation to learn the numbers aspect of the game. He said he also enjoyed being a part of the draft.

Draper, decked out in a black shirt that read "Made in Detroit," discussed the retirement of Red Wings captain Nick Lidstrom.

"It's a huge loss," he said.

"But I see (Niklas) Kronwall really stepping up and Brendan Smith is ready for some opportunities. This is his time.

"Kyle Quincey played so well in Colorado and Los Angeles and I'm expecting him to do the same here. And Jonathon Ericsson is a strong defenseman," Draper said, with a proud smile.

He also commented about the Wings new addition of Jordin TooToo.

"You know, you hated him as a (Nashville) Predator just like we hated (Chris) Chelios as a (Chicago) Blackhawk. Now Chelios works for the organization, and I think our fans will really like TooToo."

Draper, who said that winning a Stanley Cup is the second greatest feeling in the world behind becoming a father, said it would be difficult to pick one Cup-winning memory that was his favorite.

"They're all so special. Obviously the first one in '97 was special.

"In 2008, all three of my kids were born so everything was so special that year. My kids understood what was going on, and my two oldest came out of the ice after we won. It was very special."

Draper took fans back several years to the 1996 National Hockey league playoffs when talking before the game.

He discussed the famous hit by Colorado Avalanche player Claude Lemieux. Lemieux hit Draper from behind into the boards. Draper ended with several injuries including a broken jaw, nose and cheekbone.

"It's just one of those things," Draper said.

"We went on in '97 to win the Cup and I think if you asked anyone around here, they will tell you it became one of the greatest rivalries in professional sports."

Draper signed autographs and met with fans for the first five innings of the game.

He said he plans to come back to Dow Diamond for another Loons game.

"I definitely want to come back and bring my family," he said.

Michigan Live LOADED: 08.23.2012

639031 Detroit Red Wings

Former Red Wings' great Sergei Fedorov settling into new job as GM of Russian team

Brendan Savage

After 26 seasons of professional hockey, former Detroit Red Wings' great Sergei Fedorov has moved from the ice to the front office.

Fedorov, who spent 13 seasons with the Red Wings before finishing his career with Magnitogorsk Metallurg of the KHL, has accepted a general manager's job in his native Russia.

Fedorov is the new GM for CSKA Moscow.

"From the hockey perspective, it was an easy decision to take this job," Fedorov said in a story on the International Ice Hockey Federation's website. "From the administrative side, it wasn't easy. But I have good staff, good people around me and they help me a lot. To be honest, when I was first asked, I didn't want the GM position. I wanted it more like a consultant.

"But people I listen to, my friends and people who understand what this club needs, convinced me to take charge. So eventually I agreed. I don't want to do a half job, I want to work hundred percent and to have full responsibility. My job is much different from a traditional NHL GM job. My real title in Russian is not GM, but Head Manager of Human Resources and Sport. This is how our new owner Rosneft determined the job.

"But obviously, during the first weeks all the focus was on the KHL-team, to put a competitive group together for the upcoming season. But very shortly I was able also to focus on the junior team and the hockey school. Eventually, all three areas will get hundred percent attention."

Fedorov, 42, had six goals and 16 assists in 43 games for Magnitogorsk last season before finally hanging up his skates.

He played 18 seasons in the NHL – racking up 483 goals and 696 assists in 1,248 games – but never approached the success he enjoyed with the Red Wings after leaving Detroit in 2003.

He scored at least 30 goals nine times with the Red Wings and peaked at 56 in 1993-94, when he became the first European-born player to be named the NHL's Most Valuable Player.

But that was a long time ago and isn't something he thinks about often, according to Fedorov.

"Today, this is all at the back of my mind. I am very busy with my current job, with the team," he told Szymon Szemberg of IIHL.com. "But looking back, it was good season. I thought I played well, I didn't think I played that great. But I played a lot, 28-29 minutes per game as a forward, so I guess I must have had a good season."

Fedorov is slated to be back in Detroit in December to play in the Winter Classic Alumni Game.

Michigan Live LOADED: 08.23.2012

639032 Edmonton Oilers

Oilers prospect Yakupov fighting leg infection after tumbling off treadmill

By Jim Matheson

EDMONTON - Nail Yakupov has an infection in his legs after falling off a fast-moving treadmill earlier this week.

The Edmonton Oilers’ first overall draft at the June NHL entry draft was training before Monday’s skate at Perry Pearn’s three-on-three pro conditioning camp at K of C Twin Arenas and tumbled off the treadmill. He did skate Monday, but wasn’t on the ice Tuesday or Wednesday.

There is no firm report on when Yakupov will be back on skates.

The Russian forward, who attracted a big crowd of onlookers at the camp on Wednesday only to discover he wasn’t skating, is supposed to go to a junior showcase of draft picks outside of Toronto next Tuesday. The event provides Panini America and Upper Deck — the two official trading card partners of the NHLPA and the NHL — an opportunity to photograph the young stars in their team uniforms.

Edmonton Journal: LOADED: 08.23.2012

639033 Edmonton Oilers

Oilers lock up Taylor Hall with seven-year, $42-million contract extension

By Jim Matheson

EDMONTON - Taylor Hall joyfully got the number he wanted on his back when he first tugged on his No. 4 Edmonton Oilers jersey in 2010 and, now, he’s got the numbers he likes on a sweet new contract.

Seven years. $6 million US every season. A $42-million extension starting in 2013.

“I’ve been thinking about this (new deal) since last season ended,” said Hall, who will play the upcoming season on his $3.75 million entry-level contract — a $900,000 salary, another $2.85 million in available performance bonuses. “I was aware you could sign an extension after a second season. We were talking numbers and when Jeff Skinner’s deal came up (five years, $5.725 million average in Carolina), that’s when the negotiations started. From there, it was pretty simple.”

While the NHL proposal on a new collective bargaining agreement is for five-year limits on contracts, the Oilers wanted to keep the left-winger around longer than that.

“Taylor’s always said he wants to win as an Oiler and that’s music to my ears,” said Oilers general manager Steve Tambellini, who had no hesitation giving Hall the term or the dollars, even though he has played just 126 NHL games.

“You have to have complete faith in a player and our organization obviously does. He brings such a compete level, he grabs the rope and pulls everybody along, many times during a game.

“It’s not just numbers, it’s how he competes that, at times, is unmatched. He’s always been like that, in Memorial Cups. He’s been like that from the first day of camp with us, and he’s addressed an injury (shoulder) going back to his junior days,” said Tambellini.

If the NHL does get a 10-year provision before a player can be an unrestricted free agent in a new Collective Bargaining Agreement, then at the end of Hall’s deal in 2019-20, he’ll be an UFA at 28. If it stays the way it is now (seven years), the Oilers have smartly bought three years before the forward can look elsewhere.

“Both sides were on the same page,” Hall said Wednesday after a session at longtime NHL assistant coach Perry Pearn’s three-on-three pro conditioning camp in North Edmonton. “I think the seven years shows the commitment I have here, and when the Oilers said seven years, I didn’t blink. I’m comfortable being here that long. By that time, hopefully, we’re a perennial Stanley Cup threat. That’s my main goal.”

Hall, who has had two frustrating seasons of 65 and 61 games — he was KO’d by shoulder surgery in 2011-12 and the first season by a high ankle sprain — but still managed 49 goals and 95 points, will be Edmonton’s highest-paid player starting next season. He’ll surpass Ales Hemsky, who earns $5 million. Captain Shawn Horcoff will make $4 million in 2013-14, but has a cap hit of $5.5 million.

Next up in the contract batting order is Hall’s roommate, Jordan Eberle, the Lady Byng finalist who had 34 goals and 76 points in his second NHL season.

Eberle could very well be getting an identical deal even though Bobby Orr’s agency handles Hall’s affairs and the Newport Sports group looks after Eberle.

When centre Ryan Nugent-Hopkins finishes his second season, and if he improves off his rookie 52 points in 62 games, he’ll likely get the same sort of fiscal respect.

Same with winger Nail Yakupov — the top pick in 2012 — who has an infection on his legs after falling off a treadmill a few days ago and hasn’t skated the last two days at the Pearn camp.

Hall’s average salary is more than Skinner’s and more than what New York Islanders star John Tavares makes — $5.5 million average over six years.

It’s just below the $6.3 million average over five years that Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane got in Chicago after playing two years for the Blackhawks.

Hall is definitely tickled by his $6 million — and who wouldn’t be, at 20 years old? He didn’t leave any money on the table.

“I’m not an $8-million guy. I’m not on a level where I have to take less money to make sure the team stays intact,” Hall said. “To be honest, if I was Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin, then maybe I’d try to take less money, but with everything that’s gone on lately, I don’t think it’s a stretch (to think) we can keep all our young guys together.”

Tambellini is using Hall’s contract as a starting point for the other core Oilers.

“As a management team, we’re projecting out, looking at our roster, with our young players who we can grow and build with ... Taylor’s contract is a fair deal and we can manage our roster off Taylor’s average salary,” he said.

Tambellini confirmed discussions regarding Eberle’s contract, but wouldn’t say how far the talks have progressed.

Eberle’s agent, Craig Oster, didn’t return a phone call to update the negotiations, but Hall said “Jordan and I have had some dialogue throughout the whole thing. I think his (deal) will be pretty soon. He’s along the same path.

“He wants to be here and so do I. It’s only a matter of time until all this settles.”

Hall, Eberle and Nugent-Hopkins could be the team’s top line when and if the season starts on time, with Yakupov, Sam Gagner and Hemsky on a second line.

Hall is itching to play games. He said his left shoulder is coming along nicely following surgery late last season, the result of a hit by Colorado Avalanche defenceman Ryan Wilson in Denver in November that dislocated it.

No contact at Pearn’s camp is allowed, but Hall was flying, as usual.

His shoulder gave him considerable trouble last season, although he never used it as an excuse.

“It might pop out in the first period, and I could play the rest of the game, but not very well. It would pop out when I was in an awkward position. Before practice, I’d have to get it warmed up. It was a tough year. I know now if you have a problem, you have to deal with it quickly so it doesn’t turn into a bigger one. Certain battles I couldn’t stick my arm out and try to battle a guy 50 pounds heavier than me,” he said.

“I’m four and half months through a six-month process and I’m really positive about things. I won’t say I’ll be perfect on Day 1 (of the regular season), but I’m excited by the process. I could have taken hitting (at the Pearn camp, if any was allowed). Once (Oilers) camp rolls around, I’m sure I’ll be ready for it. I had rehab three days a week that was an hour long, then I’d go for my other workouts (gym, lots of upper body lifting), but it was something I was prepared for. It was all worth it. I’ve been on the ice for a month now. New contract, new team, new season, Ralph (Krueger) behind the bench. I’m excited by it all,” he said.

Like everybody else, Hall’s in limbo waiting to see if there’s a resolution on the NHL vs. the NHLPA on a new CBA. The players can be locked out on Sept. 15.

Hall has no Plan B if the lockout kicks in. Europe would be an alternative but, “with my shoulder, I won’t jump the gun as early as some guys might, if it happens.”

Edmonton Journal: LOADED: 08.23.2012

639034 Edmonton Oilers

Oilers’ Hall happy with shoulder recovery progress

By Derek Van Diest

It’s a big load to carry, a seven-year contract worth $42 million.

And to do it effectively, Taylor Hall is going to need two healthy shoulders.

Having been shut down prematurely last season due to a shoulder injury and consequently requiring surgery to fix the problem, the Oilers new multi-millionaire winger feels healthy going into the season.

“It’s good, it felt really good today,” said Hall, after taking part in Perry Pearn’s three-on-three conditioning camp Wednesday. “I think I’m four and-a-half months through a six-month process and I’m really positive about it. I know it’s not going to be perfect on Day 1, but it feels really good right now and I’m excited about the process of being healthy.”

Hall finished last season with 27 goals and 26 assists, finishing second in team scoring with 53 points.

He was limited to just 61 games due to injuries, which included getting his head stepped on during a warm-up. Hall missed the last month of the season due to a left shoulder injury.

It was a problem he tried to deal with for most of the season, but eventually had to be shut down for the year.

“It wasn’t something I thought about when I was in a battle or anything,” Hall said. “But sometimes it would pop out in the first period of a game and I’d be able to play the rest of the game, but not very well.

“It was a tough year, having to do that. But I went through it and I now know that when you have a problem, you have to take care of it so it doesn’t become an even bigger problem.”

Due to the surgery, Hall had a busy summer of rehabilitation while trying to maintain a proper workout schedule. He’s been on the ice for the last month.

“I did a lot of upper-body weight lifting, so I wasn’t too upset about that,” Hall said. “I had to go to rehab three days a week, so that was an hour long, then I had to do my other workouts and then skate.

“So it kind of piled on, but it was something that, when I decided to go through the surgery, I was prepared for. It was a hard summer, but the way it feels now I think it’s over.”

Edmonton Sun: LOADED: 08.23.2012

639035 Edmonton Oilers

Edmonton Oilers sign Hall to 7 year extension

By Derek Van Diest

The Edmonton Oilers have locked up a cornerstone and it’s expected they’ll soon tie up another.

On Wednesday the team announced the signing of winger Taylor Hall to a seven-year, $42-million contract extension.

“This is something I’ve been thinking about for a long time, probably since the season ended,” Hall said. “To get it done in a fashion that is really comfortable for both sides, I think that was very important.”

Hall, 20, will be heading into the final year of his entry-level contract this season and was due to become a restricted free agent at its conclusion.

The deal will pay the former first overall pick $6 million per season starting in the 2013-2014 campaign.

“Obviously it’s a big deal for the Oilers to secure a player and a person like Taylor Hall, who represents the organization with such class and enthusiasm and passion,” said Oilers general manager Steve Tambellini. “He’s always said he wants to be an Oiler and he wants to win as an Oiler, which is music to my ears.”

Hall’s deal is comparable to contracts recently signed by Carolina Hurricanes centre Jeff Skinner (six years, $5.725 million per season) and New York Islanders centre Jonathan Tavares (six years, $5.5 million per season.)

It’ll also make him the highest-paid player on the Oilers roster once it kicks in.

“To be honest, I don’t look too much at other people’s salaries, that’s more for my agents to look at,” said Hall. “But my agents represent Skinner and once they got that deal done, we were able to start my negotiations.

“Tavares was the first to go through, then Skinner, and I’m sure there’s going to be someone after me. It’s a game that the agents kind of play. It all worked out, I’m very happy and I think so are the Oilers. It’s been a good relationship for the last two years and I hope that continues.”

Oilers fans are hoping the next player to sign is Jordan Eberle, who is expected to get a similar extension. Eberle led the Oilers in scoring last season with 34 goals and 42 assists for 76 points in 78 games.

Hall finished with 27 goals and 26 assists in an injury-shortened season, playing 61 games.

“Jordan and I have had some pretty good dialogue throughout this whole thing,” said Hall. “I think his should be done pretty soon too. I really can’t say, though. He wants to be here as do I and I think it’s only a matter of time before it all settles and we can just go play hockey.”

Tambellini confiirmed the Oilers have had discussions with Eberle but delined to comment further.

Hall, 20, was selected by the Oilers with the first overall pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft.

The Calgary native scored 22 goals in his rookie season, which also came to a premature end after injuring his ankle in a fight with Columbus Blue Jackets winger Derek Dorsett.

While the fight was costly, it did reveal a lot about Hall’s character, something that has never come into question.

“Taylor brings such a compete level to our organization,” said Tambellini. “He grabs a hold and pulls everybody along many times during a game and we’ve seen that his first few seasons with the Oilers. Expectations will always be high, not just with numbers, but often times he brings a compete level that is unmatched.”

Hall was the first of three consecutive first overall picks selected by the Oilers. They took Ryan Nugent-Hopkins in 2011 and Nail Yakupov this summer.

Nugent-Hopkins is going into the second of a three-year entry-level deal, while Yakupov, who recently signed his first NHL contract, is getting set for his rookie season.

The four, along with recently signed defenceman Justin Schultz, are considered to be the building blocks of the Oilers future.

Locking Hall up to a multi-year deal was the first step in keeping the core together for an extended period.

“When they said seven years, I didn’t blink,” Hall said. “I’m comfortable being here for that long. Hopefully by that time, we’re a perennial threat. That’s my goal and that’s my mindset when I signed the deal.”

Edmonton Sun: LOADED: 08.23.2012

639036 Los Angeles Kings

Cup still on the move

Rich Hammond

The Stanley Cup is continuing a tour through Canada, and is hanging out with Kyle Clifford and friends and family today. There are only a handful of official “days” with the Cup remaining. By the start of September, the Cup will be back in Southern California for a series of events, and then shortly after that, Luc Robitaille will take it to be Quebec, where it will also be engraved with the names of the Kings players, coaches and staff members. What have folks been doing with the Cup? Jarret Stoll had it in his childhood hometowns of Neudorf and Yorkton, in Saskatchewan. That was also a special day for Kings fans (and blog readers) John Hallman and Rob Mathieu, who emailed to share their story of flying from Southern California to Saskatchewan in order to enjoy the public ceremony in a small Canadian town. John and Rob got mentioned in a local write-up as being visitors from “big-city California” in the story below

LA Daily News: LOADED: 08.23.2012

639037 Minnesota Wild

Wild single-game ticket information

Michael Russo

Because everything is business as usual despite the threat of an NHL lockout potentially causing missed games, the Wild still has to sell tickets.

This afternoon, the team announced its plans to sell single-game tickets for the upcoming season.

The Wild has three exhibition games at Xcel Energy Center on Sept. 26 (Dallas), Sept. 27 (St. Louis) and Oct. 2 (Winnipeg). Those tickets go on sale Thursday at 10 a.m. at all Ticketmaster locations. Tickets range from $28-$100.

Tickets for regular-season home games go on sale Sept. 22 at 9 a.m. at the Xcel Energy Center boxoffice and at noon on wild.com and all Ticketmaster locations. Single-game pricing will be announced next month. The season is supposed to start Oct. 13 against Colorado.

In the event of a lockout, if games are missed, the Wild will announce refund information then.

The Wild is also offering a customizable Five-Game Flex Pack where you can pick the games from a menu. For more information, there's an advertisement you can click to the right of this blog, I believe. This can be purchased by calling the Wild or by going to the Wild's FAN Central State Fair booth.

Training camp is supposed to open Sept. 21. Season tickets are also on sale by calling the Wild.

Star Tribune LOADED: 08.23.2012

639038 Montreal Canadiens

Gorges speaks out at NHLPA meeting

Stu Hackel

The NHL and NHLPA representatives gather again on Wednesday and Thursday to discuss the core economic issues of the collective bargaining agreement. This round comes after NHLPA executive director Don Fehr staged two meetings with players — one in Chicago and one in Kelowna, BC — following the last sessions, briefing them on the talks.

Canadiens defenseman Josh Gorges was among the 38 players who attended the NHLPA briefing in Kelowna, and it’s clear from his remarks that he remains firmly with Fehr and the PA representatives who have been in the negotiations.

Here’s news footage from Shaw TV of the BC meeting that features Fehr and a number of NHL players, including Gorges.

“All the rules and everything that goes with the CBA currently are from decisions they brought into us last time and the one thing you kinda ask is, if it’s not working — and they say the system’s not working — why not change the system?” Gorges tells interviewers. “And the proposal we got didn’t really change. It just asked for us to give up a lot of money and asked us to concede a lot of different aspects but the system itself was still in place.”

Ownership’s proposal calls for the players to take less percentage of Hockey Related Revenue in the new CBA, from 57 percent down to 43 percent. Kevin Allen of USA Today wrote Wednesday that each percentage point is worth more than $30 million. The owners proposal calls for much lower salaries as well as take-backs on things like free agency, arbitration, front loaded contracts and entry level deals.

A number of fans and media observers believe the solution is for the sides to settle on a 50-50 split, which is what the latest NBA and NFL CBAs call for. The NHLPA opposes the 50-50 split (and I examined why in this SI.com post earlier this week).

The players alternative proposal acknowledges the league has problems with some franchises despite unprecedented economic health and agrees to lower salaries for three years followed by a one year return to the current CBA. It also calls for the owners to share more of their record revenue with the struggling teams.

“One side doesn’t have to try to hit a home run and bury the other side,” Gorges said. “I think it’s a matter of coming to an agreement where both sides benefit and I think if both sides benefit, you’re going to have a good game and the fans will be happy and everyone will be happy. So I think that’s the biggest thing: They’re trying to find a system that benefits everybody.”

Montreal Gazette LOADED: 08.23.2012

639039 NHL

NHL labor talks continue, but sides remain far apart

By Helene Elliott

Top negotiators for the NHL and the players' union met Wednesday morning to discuss the status of their labor talks, agreed to skip a second scheduled session and decided to reconvene in Toronto on Thursday.

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly met with NHLPA executives Donald Fehr and Steve Fehr for two hours. The current collective bargaining agreement expires on Sept. 15 and Bettman has said the league will lock players out if a new agreement isn't reached.

"I think system-related proposals and economic proposals are the most critical issues and probably the issues where we have the widest divergence of views currently," Daly told the Canadian Press news agency. "I'm all in favor of spending as much time as possible trying to bridge those gaps."

Donald Fehr told reporters that the talks Wednesday centered on how to go forward and that nothing should be read into the cancellation of the second session. "This is one of the normal things that happens in bargaining," he said. He also said he expects talks to continue in New York "all of next week and maybe thereafter at the NHL offices."

The NHL has proposed redefining what constitutes hockey-related revenue and reducing players' share of that revenue. Its plan would essentially cut salaries by 24%, the same reduction it won in the resolution of the dispute that wiped out the 2004-05 season.

The league also wants to postpone unrestricted free agency until players are at least 28 and to cap contracts at a maximum of five years, though in the meantime owners continue to sign players to lengthy extensions. Most recently, the Edmonton Oilers extended Taylor Hall's contract for seven years and the Philadelphia Flyers re-signed both Scott Hartnell and Wayne Simmonds for six years.

The NHLPA has proposed taking a smaller percentage of revenue for the next three seasons than the 57% players received last season, in exchange for the league's implementing a wide-ranging revenue-sharing plan to help weaker clubs. Those funds would be distributed through an industry growth fund overseen in part by Bettman.

Separately, a rule-enforcement meeting in Toronto involving NHL players, coaches, executives and on-ice officials concluded with a consensus to call the diving/embellishment penalty more frequently next season. Slashing was also discussed, with the consensus that any stick contact to an opponent's hand should be called a penalty.

LA Times: LOADED: 08.23.2012

639040 NHL

NHL commissioner, union to hold labor talks Thursday

By Chip Alexander

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and NHL Players Association executive director Don Fehr were scheduled to meet Wednesday afternoon in Toronto to resume collective bargaining talks.

Instead, Bettman and deputy commissioner Bill Daly met for two hours with Fehr and Fehr’s brother, Steve, on Wednesday morning. The afternoon negotiating session at the NHLPA offices was canceled.

Don Fehr told reporters afterward the change in plans was not significant, that it was prearranged and that procedural issues were discussed. He said the two sides are scheduled to meet Thursday to talk about the core economic issues and player contracts as they seek to hammer out a new collective bargaining agreement.

Fehr said he would not characterize how much progress – if any – was made Wednesday.

“You can probably observe there’s some degree of frustration going on between the parties, but that doesn’t surprise anybody,” he said.

The CBA expires Sept. 15, and Bettman has said the players will be locked out if an agreement has not been reached. Fehr, after conducting a players meeting Tuesday in Kelowna, B.C., said there still was much work to be done.

"The gulf that separates us is triggered essentially by the owners’ position that the players have to make enormous concessions, far more than they did last time – and what they did last time was stunningly large," Fehr told the media.

A stalemate in CBA negotiations in 2004 resulted in a lockout and then cancellation of the 2004-2005 NHL season, and the players eventually conceded to a salary cap and a significant salary rollback. The league, in the new CBA talks, are requesting the players’ share of annual hockey-related revenue be reduced from 57 percent to 43 percent.

The players have proposed taking smaller salary increases the next three years – 2 percent, then 4- and 6-percent – with an option to revert back to the 57-percent share in a fourth year if NHL revenues continue to grow.

The league and union also differ on revenue-sharing proposals, although Fehr said Tuesday he was hopeful the two sides could “find more common ground” on that issue.

Fehr was hired as executive director of the NHLPA in December 2010. Steve Fehr is an NHLPA adviser who has served as special counsel to the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA).

Don Fehr has held two player meetings in Europe, followed by meetings in Chicago and Kelowna. He said he would have another in Toronto this week.

Fehr said the CBA sessions would move to New York next week and be held at the league offices.

News Observer LOADED: 08.23.2012

639041 NHL

CHL president: No formal attempt to form players' association

staff report

Canadian Hockey League president David Branch said in a statement that the league has not received any formal notification of the formation of the CHL Players' Association.

This comes after reports broke that former NHL enforcer Georges Laraque was named the first executive director of the "fledgling" CHLPA.

Reports say the CHLPA is looking to improve the education package given to players in Canada's top three junior leagues (Ontario Hockey League, Western Hockey League and the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League).

Michigan's two junior hockey teams, the Plymouth Whalers and the Saginaw Spirit, are based in the OHL. The Windsor Spitfires also are in the OHL.

The CHL plays host to 1,300 junior hockey players.

Detroit Free Press LOADED: 08.23.2012

639042 Philadelphia Flyers

NHL Notes: Niittyamki signs in Finland

staff report

NHL collective bargaining talks were canceled Wednesday, but that didn’t stop two players from signing.

Antero Niitttymaki, a Flyer for five seasons, is returning to the club he played for prior to coming to the NHL. The 32-year-old goalie signed with TPS Turku in Finland, according to NHL.com.

Niittymaki had some success in the NHL, winning 20 games twice and being named the tournament MVP at the 2006 Winter Olympics.

He struggled last in 2010-11 with the Sharks, posting a 2.71 goals against average and .896 save percentage before being waived by San Jose midway through last season.

Long haul for Hall

The Edmonton Oilers have locked up forward Taylor Hall with a seven-year contract extension.

The Oilers say the contract is worth an average of $6 million per season.

The club announced the deal Wednesday on its Twitter account.

Hall was the first overall pick in the 2010 draft and has since become a key fixture on the team's youthful top line alongside fellow first overall pick Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Jordan Eberle. Hall finished with 27 goals and 26 assists in 61 games before his season was cut short by a shoulder injury.

Those numbers were slightly up from his rookie year when he had 22 goals and 20 assists in 65 games in another injury-shortened season.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 08.23.2012

639043 Phoenix Coyotes

Phoenix Coyotes' single-game tickets go on sale

staff report

Single-game tickets for the Phoenix Coyotes' two home preseason games and the first 18 games of the 2012-13 NHL regular season go on sale to the general public Wednesday at 10 a.m.

Tickets for all remaining home games will go on sale at a later date.

Pricing for single game tickets starts at $40 per game.

In addition, four-game flex plans will go on sale. Purchasing one of these plans gives fans priority over the general public on playoff tickets.

The Coyotes open the 2012-13 preseason on Monday, Sept. 24 at Jobing.com Arena against the Los Angeles Kings. The regular season opener is Saturday, Oct. 13 at home against the Dallas Stars.

Arizona Republic LOADED: 08.23.2012

639044 St Louis Blues

MacInnis highlights Blues' roster for alumni game

JEREMY RUTHERFORD

Hall of Famers Al MacInnis and Bernie Federko will be among the many recognizable faces at the Blues' charity alumni game this Saturday.

The alumni game will be at 6 p.m. at the FSI Shark Tank, located on Lemay Ferry Road in Oakville.

MacInnis will be on the ice as a member of the Blues' alumni team, which will also include Scott Mellanby, Tyson Nash, Reed Low, Larry Patey, Mike Zuke, Kelly Chase, Terry Yake, John Wensink, Jamie Rivers, Dwight Scofield and Bob Hess. Fox Sports Midwest color analyst Darren Pang will also play for the alumni squad.

As guests of the Meramec Sharks Hockey Club, the Blues will be taking on the "Old Sharks," who will be coached by Federko. Tony Twist will also be attending the game.

Tickets to the game are $40 apiece, and only a limited number remain.

After the game, there will be a private dinner reception with the alumni at 8 p.m. at Royale Orleans, which is located on Telegraph Road in St. Louis. For $100, fans can purchase a ticket to the alumni game and a seat at the reception, which includes a full dinner and open bar for four hours.

For tickets, to purchase them on the Meramec Sharks' website.

St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 08.23.2012

639045 Tampa Bay Lightning

Ex-Lightning player Paul Ranger signs with AHL team

By ERIK ERLENDSSON

After leaving hockey behind nearly three years ago, former Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Paul Ranger will give the game another try.

Ranger, who was granted a personal leave by Tampa Bay in October 2009 but never returned to the team, signed a one-year minor league deal to play for the Toronto Marlies with the American Hockey League.

The Lightning relinquished their rights to Ranger, 27, when he was not issued a qualifying offer prior to the 2010-11 season.

No reason for his absence was revealed, and a message left for Ranger was not answered on Tuesday. Ranger's agent, Joe Resnick, said Ranger will not comment on the situation at this time.

Resnick would not address Ranger's departure from the Lightning or his client's reasons for returning to the ice after three years.

"Paul is getting ready to play for the Marlies,'' said Resnick, who has represented Ranger since the player was 15.

From 2005 through his departure from the Lightning, the 6-foot-2, 210-pounder appeared in 270 games with Tampa Bay, scoring 18 goals and 92 points while averaging more than 21 minutes of ice time.

He had surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder after the 2007-08 season and required the same surgery on his left shoulder in March 2009. Each recovery required extensive rehabilitation lasting more than three months.

Eight games into the 2009-10 season, Ranger asked for a leave of absence and never returned.

Ranger remained out of the public spotlight for most of his absence until he began helping coach bantam-level players, ages 14-15, near his hometown of Whitby, Ontario. Ranger worked with his former coach David Branch, who is now the commissioner of the Ontario Hockey League.

Resnick reached out to Lightning general manager Steve Yzerman last week to inform him of Ranger's intentions to sign with the Marlies.

Yzerman said the Lightning had interest in trying to bring Ranger back into the organization, but by signing with the Marlies, Ranger will remain close to home as he attempts to resume his career.

Tampa Tribune LOADED: 08.23.2012

639046 Toronto Maple Leafs

NHL, players seem to lack urgency in labour talks

By Michael Traikos

Donald Fehr likes to say he is out of the prediction business. He doesn’t read tea leaves. He no longer plays with a magic eight ball. So do not bother asking the union head if he thinks the NHL and the Players’ Association will be able to negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement in time to avoid a lockout.

Of course, you do not need to be a psychic to know where both sides seem to be heading. We are almost three weeks away from the Sept. 15 deadline for a new CBA, but you would never know it based on the snail’s pace that both sides are moving.

On Wednesday morning, Fehr and his brother Steve Fehr, the union’s special counsel, privately spent about two hours meeting with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and deputy commissioner Bill Daly to presumably get a head start on hammering out a new deal. Instead, they might have taken another step backwards by cancelling what was supposed to be a larger and much-longer session in the afternoon.

Fehr brushed it aside as “an ordinary part of the process.” And yet, the grains of sand continue to sift through the hourglass.

“This is just one of the normal things that happens in bargaining,” Fehr said in a news conference where he cautioned against reading too much into the cancellation. “Sometimes you schedule things and they don’t come off. Sometimes you don’t schedule things and you end up with much longer or more involved meetings.”

The two sides, which have not met in a full negotiating session since last Thursday, are planning to meet again Thursday in Toronto and have scheduled meetings in New York next week and the week after. But more and more, it seems there is a lack of urgency to get a deal done to start the season on time.

The league and its players appear to be far apart when it comes to the issues being discussed. And both sides appear to be working with two different deadlines.

For the players, the date that matters is when the regular season opens, Oct. 13. That is when players would start losing money. For the league, it is likely Jan. 1, when that great big cash cow called the Winter Classic is scheduled.

So what we have right now is the battle of who will blink first, and neither appears to have any appetite to start making concessions. Until that happens, until we get to an 11th hour where there is desperation to get things done, the stare-down will continue.

The NHL proposed a deal weeks ago that would see the players take a smaller piece of the pie, by rolling back player salaries by 24% and decreasing their share of league revenue from 57% to 43%. Rather than submit a counter-offer, the union drew up a new proposal last week that curbed player revenues for the next three years, but also put the onus on wealthy owners to bail out teams in need.

The question is which proposal might be the starting point for discussion. During Wednesday morning’s meeting, the two sides, according to Fehr, attempted to discuss “procedurally what is the best way forward — what are we going to do next, what do the groups look like, how do we figure this out and the rest of it.”

Fehr described the tone of the meeting as “businesslike,” but also said “there’s some degree of frustration going on between parties, but that doesn’t surprise me.”

No question, there is frustration. We are less than a month away from a third lockout in 18 years and neither side appears to be speaking the same language. It probably does not help that in the last two weeks, five players — Jeff Skinner, Max Pacioretty, Wayne Simmonds, Scott Hartnell and Taylor Hall — have received contracts of six years or more that would seem to contradict the notion that teams cannot survive under these current economic conditions.

And yet Fehr does not seem discouraged, even if he and Bettman have so far treated the negotiation process like a chore that can be put off for the time being.

“Do I see a way forward?” asked Fehr. “All I can tell is you is what I’ve said many times before … you get up in the morning and you try and work that day and see if you can make progress. And if you don’t find an agreement that day, you do it again the next day and you continue doing it until you find a way. I know that sounds trite, perhaps. And I know that sounds simplistic. But it’s also the way it happens.”

Meanwhile, the clock keeps ticking.

National Post LOADED: 08.23.2012

639047 Toronto Maple Leafs

Leafs’ Korbinian Holzer ready to make professional journey

By Michael Traikos

TORONTO — Old habits are hard to break.

So it goes with Korbinian Holzer, who despite signing a one-way contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs this summer was back wearing his familiar minor-league jersey at a power skating session on Tuesday. When asked why, he said it is because he has fond memories of his time spent with the Marlies and what he and his teammates were able to accomplish.

“It was a very successful last two years,” said Holzer. “We had a great run last year [the Marlies reached the Calder Cup final], so I’m very proud still to wear that sign on my jersey.”

Of course, there might be another reason for keeping the jersey in circulation. While the Leafs expect Holzer to challenge for a spot on the team’s blue line — filling the void created by the departure of stay-at-home defenceman Luke Schenn — a labour lockout could literally force him to stay at home. Or, if the 24-year-old is eligible, send him back for another tour of duty in the minors.

“It’s not easy right now,” said Holzer. “The situation is tough for everybody. It would be nice if there is an agreement and I still hope that they find an agreement before Sept. 15. Like I said, I have to take it like it is. Just move on and work hard and get ready for when training camp starts, if there is one.”

From veterans to rookies, millionaires to minimum-wage earners, a lockout would affect every player. But it is the young upstarts who are perhaps hurt the most. They may not be union members yet but they have been paying their dues for years, riding buses and carrying their equipment in the minors, patiently waiting to make their mark in the NHL.

And yet there is nothing for him to do but go along with his business and try not to think too much about what may or may not happen. On Tuesday, that meant spending about an hour refining his stride with the team’s power-skating instructor, Barbara Underhill. Holzer, who is 6-foot-3 and 206 pounds, is big and strong enough to play in the NHL, but he said he still needs to work on becoming quicker when moving laterally.

“It’s still all up to me,” Holzer said of making the Leafs. “I still have to work hard in training camp and make it as hard as possible to get sent down again. I want to compete for a spot and be in the best shape that I can to compete for that spot.”

There is nothing particularly flashy about Holzer’s game. With the Marlies, he was primarily used in a shutdown role, playing against the other teams’ top line and killing penalties. In 67 games, he scored one goal and had 20 points and a plus-7 rating. But it was during the lengthy playoff run, when the Marlies lost in the final, that Holzer showed he is ready to make the jump.

“Certainly he does all the little things and subtle things really well,” Dave Poulin, the Maple Leafs’ vice president of hockey operations, said after the AHL playoffs ended in June. “Whether this is a great experience is up to him. It can be if he takes it to the NHL and builds on it.”

Holzer might have to wait a month or more to put on a Leafs jersey, but he is not the only player in limbo. The Marlies could start the season with a roster that includes potential NHLers Ben Scrivens in net, Jake Gardiner on defence and Matt Frattin, Nazem Kadri and Joe Colborne up front.

That is, if they are eligible. At this point, no rules have been put in place in the event of a lockout. But according to Poulin, the belief is that players who do not require clearing waivers would be allowed to play in the minors. Despite being on one-way deals, Holzer and Frattin reportedly fall into that group.

In other words, that Marlies jersey could get some more use.

National Post LOADED: 08.23.2012

639048 Vancouver Canucks

Former Canucks centre Morrison caught between CBA rock and UFA hard place

By Ben Kuzma

KELOWNA — For Brendan Morrison, it was a short drive to the in-laws in Penticton after two days of NHLPA meetings here, but the road to returning to the ice could be long and full of potholes.

Not only is Morrison an unrestricted free agent who collected just 11 points last season in 39 games split between the Calgary Flames and Chicago Blackhawks, he needs to prove at age 37 that there’s something left in the tank. To do that, the centre needs to play. However, the prospect of that coming to fruition for the Pitt Meadows native next month seems remote with scheduled collective bargaining agreement talks Wednesday in Toronto reduced to informal discussions in advance of actual bargaining Thursday. And as much as you could argue that an injury-free season after right knee surgery on April 11, 2011 might make Morrison attractive to a team looking for affordable depth, leadership and versatility — Phoenix, Ottawa and Edmonton might be fits — until a new CBA is struck, he’s probably stuck.

“We’ve talked to a couple of teams but it’s been real slow and with guys who are considered older, teams want to see what’s going to happen with the CBA before much action is going to take place,” said Morrison.

With others signing extensions longer than five years to lessen the salary cap hit and to guard against a new CBA not allowing contracts beyond five years — Taylor Hall has signed a seven-year extension while Scott Hartnell and Wayne Simmonds got six-year deals — those 35 years of age and above wait. The current CBA requires that multi-year deals to those players count against the cap in the second year, even if a player is inactive. The UFA forward list includes Brian Rolston (39), Andrew Brunette and Jason Blake (38) and Jason Arnott (37) and even though Morrison made just $1.25 million last season, he has to play the waiting game. The current CBA expires Sept. 15.

“The proposal that we did make, we feel it was outside the box and unique and a lot of time and effort was put into it,” said Morrison, who has an economics degree from the University of Michigan. “We feel it can correct some the systematic problems that the league says it’s having. The gap between wealthy and not wealthy teams has grown and the goal was to shrink that, so we feel it’s a fair proposal.”

The initial proposal from the owners called for the players’ share of revenue dropping from 57 to 43 per cent, capping salaries at five years and stretching entry-level deals from three to five. There’s also the elimination of arbitration and 10 yeas of service required for unrestricted free agency. In response, the NHLPA pitched a counter-proposal that would not link the salary cap to revenues and a fixed rate of salary increases the next three years — two, four and six per cent — would surrender $465 million US to aid in revenue sharing and prop up struggling franchises. Players would have an option of returning to the current CBA in the fourth year and receive 57 per cent of revenue. There’s also the ongoing argument of what does and doesn’t count as hockey related revenue, so it’s complex.

“What’s kind of disheartening and discouraging as a player is we don’t know if every owner has seen our proposal,” added Morrison. “You kind of shake your head. Within 24 hours, they come back with a rebuttal and almost pushed it [proposal] back across the table. It’s like there was no real in-depth read of our proposal and what it can do to help the game and franchises that are struggling. That’s discouraging.”

The first real pressure point for owners could be the annual Winter Classic on Jan. 1 that has become a financial and marketing windfall for the NHL. It could be pushed back to Feb. 1 if a new CBA is not struck. If a lockout persists, players will weigh their options and Morrison played in Sweden during the last lockout with elite league Linkoping. He has thought about it, but the obvious preference is to land another NHL contract and play. Morrison is only 66 games shy of reaching 1,000 career regular-season games and has played for seven NHL teams, including the Vancouver Canucks as centred the famed West Coast Express line with Markus Naslund and Todd Bertuzzi.

“I’m always the eternal optimist, but it’s disappointing when Gary [Bettman] put a deadline date of Sept. 15 if we don’t have a deal, they’re going to lock out the players,” said Morrison. “That rhetoric is all coming from the owners and we’ve said from Day 1, we’ll play through this and go to camp and keep working until we come to an agreement. But that idea was completely shut down and brushed off. That’s their prerogative, but we want to have good and open communication about getting something done.”

When NHLPA executive director Donald Fehr and Bettman cross negotiation paths again Thursday, players are hoping for the best but fear the worst. When asked what he expects, Boston Bruins defenceman Andrew Ference was blunt.

“That they think our proposal is fantastic,” he said. “You always hope for progress. Their first offer was outrageous and it would warrant the same response if we went and said we wanted a 24-per-cent increase and no cap and free agency right off the bat. When you come out with something so one-sided, there’re no productivity to come out of it.

“When I heard our proposal, I was proud. It was grown up and a very mature approach. It’s not just have a fight to prove who has more guts.”

Vancouver Province: LOADED: 08.23.2012

639049 Winnipeg Jets

Jaffray sticking with IceCaps — and maybe Jets?

By Jim Bender

The St. John's IceCaps, the Winnipeg Jets' farm team, have agreed to terms with popular forward Jason Jaffray on an AHL contract, the NHL club announced Wednesday.

Jaffray, 31, scored 17 goals and 38 points, with 30 penalty minutes in 47 games with the Caps last season. He also appeared in 13 games with the Winnipeg Jets where he recorded one assist and seven penalty minutes.

The Olds, Alta., native had a lengthy history with the Manitoba Moose where he sits second on the former AHL team’s all-time scoring list with 96 goals and 235 points in 269 games. He was named the team’s Most Valuable Player and Most Popular Player in the 2006-07 season when he led the Moose in scoring and goals with 81 points and 35 goals. He was named the winner of the team’s Unsung Hero Award in 2005-06.

Jaffray has appeared in 371 career AHL games with Norfolk, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Cleveland, Manitoba, Abbotsford and St. John’s, scoring 125 goals and 295 points, with 315 penalty minutes.

The 6-foot-1, 195-pound winger has also appeared in 49 career NHL games with Vancouver, Calgary and Winnipeg. He scored four goals and 11 points, with 40 penalty minutes. His most successful season in the NHL was 2007-08 when he played in 19 games with the Canucks and collected two goals and six points.

Winnipeg Sun LOADED 08.23.2012

639050 Websites

ESPN /

By John Buccigross

Bucci:

If the Pens don't land Shane Doan (seems unlikely) and can't trade for Bobby Ryan, who might be available at the deadline? Who are the big 2013 free agents?

Perry Cunningham

Waynesburg, Pa., via Steubenville, Ohio

I was told Tuesday night, as was first reported by The Buffalo News, that the Sabres' four-year, $30 million deal ($7.5 million a year) offer to Shane Doan is real. No other team would come close to that offer. This means it likely will come down to the Sabres or the Coyotes. Or Doan could take a discount with the Penguins, Canucks, Rangers or anyone else he thinks has the best chance to win the Cup. I think it's most likely he stays unless the allure of the Stanley Cup military press is too inviting to ignore.

I was told Phoenix was thinking more in the two-year contract range. So, the situation probably will come down to Doan taking the Sabres' deal or using it as leverage and at least getting the Coyotes to at least three years and at least $5 million a year. That still would leave $15 million a year on the table, a lot of money for Doan to bypass as he negotiates what will be his last contract. But if I'm the Coyotes, there is no way I offer more than three years for $15 million. If he doesn't accept that, I let him walk. His game will only deteriorate, and they've won only two playoff series with him (both this past season). He's a tremendous man who plays with every cell in his body, and it would be great if he finished his career and enjoyed his ranch in the desert, but $30 million over four years? Wow. I still say he somehow stays in Phoenix.

As for 2013 free agents, this status can change at any moment because of contract extensions, but as of now: Ryan Getzlaf, Jarome Iginla, Corey Perry, Nathan Horton, Val Filppula and Alexander Edler are a few who come to mind.

Hi, John,

If there is any progress in the talks, are there any indicators that the two sides will agree to continue negotiations on the CBA and start the season? Or are the owners adamant for a lockout?

Thanks,

P. Munzing

Question No. 1: That will not happen. Gary Bettman is an agent, the owners' agent, and a Scott Boras win-at-all-costs kind of agent. (They were born exactly five months apart in 1952.) It is what he is best suited for. A person or entity gets the best deal only when he or she has leverage. The more leverage, the better the deal. You will never get the raise you think you deserve at your job unless you threaten to leave. When you are willing to live out that threat, you have even more leverage. Remember, Bettman works for the owners. He has to deal with 30 of them and their various fiscal concerns, and Fehr.

When players start losing paychecks, Gary Bettman and the owners' leverage will accelerate no matter what unified front they put up. Players are rich, owners are wealthy, and there is a big difference. Boras' clients almost always test the free-agent market because that is the best way to make the most money, and as we know, the money scoreboard is the one some people are most interested in. Bettman-produced lockouts are designed to give his "players" (the owners) the best deal they can get. The "partnership" word he likes to throw out there during interviews is pure marketing and mostly fraudulent. As Fehr pointed out last week, the players don't have a say in marketing, promotion, franchise location, etc.

Bettman lives for this. He is a confrontational person who enjoys that battle. It's his Trivial Pursuit board game. Acquiring big-ticket corporate partners and negotiating CBAs are his primary jobs. His job is to increase the franchise value of the owners. That's it. He's largely done that, especially

for the top-tier franchises, as is reflected in his salary. He has a high salary because he has been good for the owners; otherwise, he would be commissioner of the Arena Football League.

Bettman has the charm of a heavily starched shirt, but he is smart and relentless. He organized and professionalized the offices of the NHL, increased revenues and helped oversee the new-media infusion that has made this the best time, in terms of media access and information, to be a fan of the NHL. The NHL has an excellent website that is much better than the NBA's, an affordable Center Ice package, and excellent television partners in the U.S. and Canada. (I will let others debate the "The NHL should be on ESPN" argument.) The Winter Classic, the presentation of the Stanley Cup (excluding his involvement, which has to stop -- it's a distraction), "24/7" on HBO, and, yes, the expansion of the game in the U.S. are all good things, in my feeble mind, that have put the game in a good place.

There are those in the media who hate Bettman, and that certainly has contributed some to fans mostly despising him. There are others in the media, as Ray Ferraro (@rayferrarotsn) tweeted last week, "some media are totally in GMs' pockets and will parrot whatever they want." I'm not one of those media types. Just last week a former NHL player professed his hatred for Bettman to me in person, a common theme. When he asked me my opinion, I told him what I tell everyone: "None of us is perfect. I actually think he's been good for the game." Certainly the work stoppages are troubling, and from that perspective Bettman deserves criticism. But he deals with some interesting owners, especially among the high-revenue teams. NHL players are not unreasonable people. I think we all understand that.

Any on-ice problems that you might have with the league really can't be directed at Bettman. He has largely delegated that part of the job because his knowledge and understanding are limited. We all know deep down that he doesn't LOOOOVE the game like you do. He can appreciate the fans singing "O Canada" in Vancouver or the passion of the Stanley Cup playoffs, of course. But does he get that Christmas Eve feeling of a Bruins-Canadiens game in the middle of January? Probably not. He entrusts pretty much everything on the ice to other people. It's not his ball of tape.

At some point, owners might want to consider hiring a hockey person who can help lead and grow the game in terms of passion over currency. I'm willing to admit that the expiration date on Bettman's tenure might be arriving or has arrived. His lack of an on-ice connection seems to be growing. He is more comfortable at a climate-controlled, giant, corporate negotiating table than a cozy, cold rink. But again, this lockout is about the NHL figuring out how to help out teams that are bleeding money. The floor is too high for a lot of teams.

Question No. 2: Are owners adamant for a lockout? No way. It's obvious the big-revenue teams don't want one. The Rangers can charge more than $300 for a ticket and high rates for restroom advertising that smaller-revenue teams cannot. Low-revenue teams can't get to the salary floor. There is no way you can tell me the economy is better now than it was in 2005. Revenues might have gone up, but not $30 million a year for a team like the Blue Jackets. U.S. teams like the Rangers, Bruins, Blackhawks, Red Wings and Flyers have extremely high franchise values. And certainly other U.S. teams that have very strong fan bases and must be doing pretty well -- Buffalo, Pittsburgh, San Jose, Minnesota, Washington to name some -- certainly see the negatives in it for them.

The issue is one that goes back to the values at kindergarten. How much of the pie will owners share, and what is good for the game? I always have been in favor of as many NHL teams in the U.S. as possible (within reason) because NHL teams manufacture NHL fans, and that's how the game is grown. I believe there is enough talent in the world. It can be slower growth in some places than others, but it's a fact. And lack of traction is usually due to lack of success. Southern California and South Florida are now both producing high-end hockey talent. The game of hockey deserves to be everywhere; it's great enough to be everywhere. Will it not work in some places? Only if it is run into the ground by poor or unlucky management.

Are the Jets better off in Winnipeg than Atlanta? Of course. Would the Coyotes produce more revenue in Quebec City? Absolutely. Could things have been different in Atlanta? Well, the city had two chances. But the Thrashers made the playoffs once in their 11 seasons in Georgia. You know what the Atlanta Flames' career playoff record was? 2-15. Two and frickin' 15. That's not a fair measurable as to whether hockey would ever work in Atlanta. It took Phoenix 15 seasons to win a playoff series.

I know the NHL isn't a charity, but Bettman and the owners are stewards of the game. They have to recognize this, and the richest teams have to do a

better job at sharing. The players know they have it good and know teams are struggling. They will probably give in to some salary rollback (10-15 percent) if that money is given to the struggling franchises. Hockey participation took a huge hit during the 2004-05 lockout. This week I called to sign up my son Jack for the annual readiness camp our rink in Connecticut has every late August. Canceled: not enough participation. The game is again being vaporized from the consciousness of American fans.

Hockey is a third-line grinder itself. That's why it has continued to survive, and really thrive, all these years while being led by suits who don't have the game's best interest in mind. But they are competitive. Too competitive, in fact. Flyers owner Ed Snider never wants to see the Penguins or Rangers win a Stanley Cup, but especially not before his Flyers. The Blackhawks did everything they could to pry Marian Hossa from the Red Wings. The players are trained to be selfless. Some NHL owners selfishly flex their false bravado with their regional checking accounts.

The NHL's problem is more about overzealous competitiveness than greed. Or maybe it isn't. Players know that they are nothing without a strong core. The best athletes have a strong core. That's true of any entity; a person, a company, a country. The selfish, rich teams have bludgeoned the middle-class teams with their opulent signing bonuses, end-around tactics and firm belief that their "success" is more skill and providence than it is geography, luck and accident of birth. Sound familiar?

Matt Frields: ?@mfrields

Bucci,

@Buccigross What is the effect on the coaches if the @NHL does lock the players out again?

I was told by an employee with one organization that there is a 20 percent cut (80 percent value of salary collected). Come Dec. 31, it drops down to 50 percent, and then after March 1, it's an 80 percent cut. I imagine these things vary from club to club.

Also, don't forget marketing, PR and support staffs that lose their incomes. The same reductions are applied to coaching and training (medical and equipment) staffs. It's a scramble for those people to find other work because other pro sports teams already have full staffs.

When you look at the lockout through this lens, it seems even more cruel, unusual and unnecessary.

Christopher: ?@cslap134

@Buccigross: What's the impact both on and off the ice of the Red Wings losing out on the big-name free agents, since they usually land 1-2?

I think it's pretty significant. The Red Wings are obviously not the championship team they were. A year ago, they certainly had visions of Shea Weber and/or Zach Parise. And then when Ryan Suter took his game to another level last season, he quickly got on their radar more intensely. In 2011-12, Henrik Zetterberg had the lowest points-per-game average of his career since he became a regular. Pavel Datsyuk (he'll turn 35 next July) had the lowest goals-per-game average of his career. Nicklas Lidstrom is gone. Zetterberg and Datsyuk certainly could bounce back with strong seasons, and any kind of lockout might actually aid them come playoff time. There are plenty of other nice players on the roster, too. Still, the questions for Red Wings fans are, "Are we still a championship team?" and "What will we be in three to five years?"

Bucci:

What teams do you see as potential destinations for Tim Thomas? Will teams use him to reach the salary floor and, if so, what could the Bruins get in return?

Nicholas R. Pacitti

I don't believe there is any way Tim Thomas sacrifices $3 million this season. Now, if we miss two months in a lockout and there is a 10 percent rollback, that $3 million would become about $1.5 million, so maybe he would sit out the whole season. But if the salary floor is still an issue after the new CBA is negotiated, one could imagine a team trading for Thomas' $5 million cap number/$3 million combo. It wouldn't have to pay for a player who is becoming a free agent and would get a $5 million cap number. I still stay Thomas will play this coming season.

Bucci:

Glass half-full: What concessions will the players and owners each make to ensure hockey starts on time?

Someone knocked the glass off the counter and all my teal Kool-Aid is all over the place: What are we going to do between late September and early June without the NHL, again?

Thanks,

Jordan "sirsharkie" Dodge Union City, Calif.

As I said above, the players know they have it good and understand that some teams are not doing well. They need help from the rich teams via revenue sharing and/or a lower floor. The players would agree to a 50-50 split and a small rollback if that money went to lower-revenue teams and a stronger revenue-sharing program.

The rich teams have to help support the smaller teams. If the teams not making money and the teams around the break-even point all band together, something can get done. I don't know why we have to wait until December to get this done

NHL owners have to infuse more revenue sharing, and the players have to allow certain salary restrictor plates like term limits and perhaps signing-bonus limitations as well to help level the playing field. The NFL employs socialism, and that league has done quite well, although it is easer to share billions of television revenues than it is to share the NHL's hundreds of millions.

Hey, John!

The question for you is: Which teams will make the 2013 Frozen Four?

Brandon

Long Island

Boston College, Western Michigan, Minnesota and North Dakota.

Bucci,

1. Top 5 chicken parm in North America?

2. Have you ever been to a Gopher hockey game in Mariucci Arena?

Charles Neff

1. Bucci's, Bucci's, Bucci's, Bucci's, Bucci's. No one makes better parm than I do because no one uses my secret ingredient: LOVE.

2. Yes. When all was well in the world and ESPN aired the NHL games, I covered the 2004 NHL All-Star Game in St. Paul, and while I was there I attended a Minnesota-Bemidji State game. Great rink.

John:

If the NHL lockout does last months into the regular season, will college games get more TV coverage, etc.? And if so, how much more?

Thanks Bucci,

Danny D

I would imagine most of the schedule is already set. There could be a few games added to the schedule if there is no hockey in October and November. But with college football taking up so much airtime, if we had a one-to-three-month lockout, I don't think we would notice much difference.

Bucci:

Two questions:

1. What is the back story to the "Famous" Bucci chicken parm that you and players/coaches refer to? What is the secret that makes it famous?

2. Do the Blue Jackets have the ship finally going in right direction or should I get ready to watch them lose the lottery again?

Phillip Buerk

Columbus

1. There is no back story to my chicken parm. It's just awesome. If you are referring to the Ray Ferraro story, you can probably Google "Buccigross Chicken Parm Ferraro" and probably come up with something.

2. The Blue Jackets likely will be in the lottery again unless they surprise with good goaltending. They are constructing a nice defensive corps and have decent depth among their forwards. What if Cam Atkinson scores 15-20 goals? What if Ryan Johansen suddenly emerges with 20 goals? Columbus should have only two focuses this upcoming season: 1. Be a

hard team to play against. That should be the case. 2. Goal prevention. Everything else is secondary.

Bucci:

What could the Blackhawks do to really become serious contenders in the West this season? They are still looking like a 6 seed that will get bounced in the first round.

Thanks,

Michael Moran

Goaltending. Goaltending. Goaltending.

John:

What does the addition of Notre Dame (and UConn, I guess) do for Hockey East?

Sam Zorfas

Notre Dame expands the skate ruts of Hockey East and is always good for any televised games. Selfishly, I'm pumped UConn is joining Hockey East because it will play most of its games 10 minutes from my house. I will get season tickets and see great college hockey without traveling an hour or so. The tickets will be affordable, and I know there will never be a lockout. It also enhances Connecticut as one of the finest hockey states in the union. From youth to high school to prep school to multiple D-1 NCAA programs, it's an excellent, cozy state to be a hockey fan.

Hey, Bucci,

With the addition of Rick Nash, another spectacular year from King Henrik and the further development of our young studs, do you see the Rangers as the favorite heading into the upcoming season? If not, then who is, and where would you rank the Rangers?

Jay

Bloomington, Ind.

The Rangers had the most points in the Eastern Conference last season. They added Rick Nash and will have Chris Kreider from the get-go. These are two big men who can really skate. They aren't the confrontational, mean type of players, but they should get 50-60 goals between them, which is exactly what the Rangers need. If they can get their goals above 250 (they had 236 last season) and keep their goals allowed under 200 (187 last season), they will win the Presidents' Trophy.

I heard from a very good source that the Rangers were close to a Dan Boyle-for-Marian Gaborik trade. This makes sense from the John Tortorella-Dan Boyle Tampa Bay Stanley Cup connection. And it would help improve the Rangers' below-average 15.7 percent power play.

Trading Gaborik for Boyle would deepen the Rangers' defense and give them a top-six forward group of Brad Richards, Nash, Ryan Callahan, Derek Stepan, Carl Hagelin and Kreider, which is pretty strong if Kreider develops into the NHL force he appears destined to become. Keeping Gaborik would give them a little more depth and allow one of those players to drop to the third line. I suppose that would be Kreider, but he looked like one of the Rangers' better players in the playoffs and is a horse who needs to run and play with good players. It will be interesting to see. The scoring really drops off after the first two lines for the Rangers.

But certainly the Rangers are right there with the Bruins and Penguins as the Eastern Conference big three. When the Bruins are healthy, they clearly have the most depth. The Penguins probably have just a shard more than the Rangers but with Jordan Staal now in Carolina and the Rangers getting Nash, it certainly is a little closer between the Rangers and Penguins. A slew of team could be right on the heels of the big three that should make for an exciting conference: the Flyers, Senators, Sabres, Caps, Lightning and Hurricanes.

If we ever get to play.

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NBCSports.com /

Fehr calls cancelled bargaining session “one of the normal things that happen”

Mike Halford

Pessimism surrounding NHL labor talks worsened on Wednesday when a meeting between the NHL and NHLPA was cancelled.

But for union boss Donald Fehr, the cancellation was nothing out of the ordinary.

“This is one of the normal things that happen,” Fehr told Chris Johnston of the Canadian Press following Wednesday’s aborted session. “Sometimes you schedule things and they don’t come off, sometimes you don’t schedule things and you end up with much longer or more involved meetings, sometimes you change the format”

Wednesday was the latest example of Fehr exhibiting calm in the face of rising pressure. He insisted things is how things unfold — “an ordinary part of the process” — even though the two sides moved a day closer to the Sept. 15 CBA expiration date without any meaningful negotiations regarding key economic issues.

The two sides agreed to meet again on Thursday morning, perhaps with a more specific and/or focused approach on what issues to tackle.

When asked if Wednesday’s cancellation was a sign of how negotiations were going, Fehr was quick to warn that nothing should be read into the decision.

“I’m not going to try and characterize it,” he said. “I think it would be not conducive to the process for me to try and do that. So, you just (have to) bear with me on it.”

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Caps’ Chimera: “It would seem pretty dumb to have a lockout now”

Mike Halford

Count Washington Capitals forward Jason Chimera among those thinking another NHL labor stoppage would be foolish.

“You look at the revenue that the league has made,” Chimera told the Edmonton Sun. “It would seem pretty dumb to have a lockout now.”

Chimera isn’t one of the 31 players comprising the NHLPA’s negotiating committee, but was in New York for one of the earlier CBA meetings. He’s also a veteran of the lockout scene, having survived the lost season of 2004-05 (Chimera, then a member of the Edmonton Oilers, played with Italy’s Varese HC.)

“I think things are different this time around,” he said. “The lines of communication are definitely open. I was in New York for one of the meetings and it was pretty cordial.

“Everyone was talking about things and no one was up in arms and saying things like, ‘I’m not talking to you again until you propose this,’ which is good. They’re talking about the little things too, which means when it all comes into place that it’ll happen a little bit quicker.”

Chimera, 32, is probably as keen as anyone to get back playing. He scored 20 goals in 2011-12 — the highest total of his 11-year career — and will begin the first of his two-year, $3.5 million extension next season.

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Campbell: NHLers want to “embarrass” divers, distribute list league wide

Mike Halford

Following the commencement of the NHL’s Rule Enforcement Meetings, Senior Executive Vice President Colin Campbell highlighted one of the key developments from the two-day affair:

Players want to eliminate diving. Big time.

Here’s the skinny from Dan Rosen of NHL.com:

The players in the session, including Ottawa center Jason Spezza, Vancouver defenseman Kevin Bieksa and Toronto defenseman John-Michael Liles, led an impassioned discussion on enforcing the diving/embellishment rule (Rule 64.1), Campbell told NHL.com. He said the players want to distribute a list of divers around the League so it can be posted in all 30 dressing rooms and be delivered to the on-ice officials.

“They want to get [the list] out there,” Campbell said. “They want the player to be caught, whether it’s on the ice by the referee or by us on video. They are all tired of diving. The object is to make them stop eventually and, by doing that, they can get it out there around the League, embarrass them. The referees will know it, too, so the divers don’t get the benefit of the doubt.”

The “diver’s list” became big news following the last lockout when, early in the 2005-06 season, then-Kings forward Sean Avery blasted Campbell after being placed on the list — one that publicly identified him not just as a diver, but a repeat offender.

Campbell responded to Avery’s criticisms with comments similar to those he made on Wednesday.

“We can tell a dive most of the time,” he said. “We’re just trying to get the emphatic ones and hope that players don’t want to be on a list with their names up in every dressing room.”

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Antero Niittymaki signs in Finland

Mike Halford

After a trying 2011-12 season that included being waived by San Jose, Antero Niittymaki is off to Finland.

The 32-year-old netminder — who spent all of last season in the AHL, appearing in just 13 games — has signed on to play with TPS Turku of the SM-liiga, Finland’s top league.

The move brings Niittymaki back to the club he starred with before joining the Flyers organization in 2002.

“It feels good to come back to TPS,” he said in a statement. “The club made it possible to put this in place over the summer, and we came to terms very quickly on the contract.”

Niittymaki wasn’t even sure he’d play hockey this season after last year’s serious hip injury. He had an artificial joint placed in the hip prior to the 2011-12 campaign and struggled with it throughout.

Now healthy, it’ll be interesting to see if Niittymaki can regain his previous form. He was the tournament MVP at the 2006 Winter Olympics, posting three shutouts in six games while leading Finland to a silver medal.

Niittymaki’s also twice won 20 games at the NHL level (with Philly and Tampa Bay) and actually held the Sharks’ starting job at the start of 2010-11. He was San Jose’s player of the month in October before suffering a lower-body injury, losing the No. 1 gig to Antti Niemi.

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Police looking for stolen 1907 Stanley Cup banner

Mike Halford

In 1907, the Kenora Thistles defeated the Montreal Wanderers to win the Stanley Cup.

Over 100 years later, their championship banner has gone missing.

That’s the word out of Ontario today as Provincial Police say they’re looking for the public’s help in locating the banner, believed to be stolen from the Whitecap Pavilion sometime between Friday evening and Saturday morning.

In addition to the banner — which is white and burgundy, so keep an eye out — a Canadian flag and a Los Angeles Kings Stanley Cup flag were also taken.

Trivia time: Among the players on Kenora’s 1907 Cup-winning team? None other than Hockey Hall of Famer and namesake of the NHL’s top scorer trophy — Art Ross.

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Spector on Hall: The gold standard

Mark Spector

EDMONTON -- A 20-year-old who had just put his name on a contract worth US$42 million, Taylor Hall was asked … (wait for it) … if he had taken less money to stay in Edmonton.

"To be honest, I'm not an $8-million guy," he responded. "I'm not on the level where I'd have to take less money to make sure the team stays intact.

"If I'm Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin, maybe I try to take less money."

Or if he is one of the Sedin twins, which provides us with a jumping off point for the seven-year, $42-million deal Hall signed with the Edmonton Oilers.

As Canucks general manager Mike Gillis so wisely did in Vancouver with the Sedins, when he negotiated matching five-year, $30.5-million deals with Daniel and Henrik back in 2009, Oilers GM Steve Tambellini has established a salary ceiling in Edmonton at $6 million per.

Jordan Eberle, who like Hall has one season left on his entry level deal, is expected to sign a very similar (if not identical) contract any day.

So like Gillis, who has since told Ryan Kesler, Kevin Bieksa and others that if they wish to remain a Canuck they would have to take less on an annual basis than the Sedins, so too will Tambellini have a number atop his salary chart that should allow him to keep this fine young Oilers group intact for just a little bit longer than many believed he could.

"I think it shows the commitment that I have here. When they said seven years, I didn't blink," Hall said. "I'm comfortable being here for that long, and hopefully by that time we'll be a perennial threat. That's my main goal, my mindset when I signed the deal. That that's going to happen."

As for his buddy Eberle, who many argue is a better and more valuable player, we believe he'll settle on an identical contract within the week.

"I think he'll be (signed) pretty soon. He wants to be here. It's only a matter of time," Hall said.

So, what are the pros and cons of this deal?

Well, in beating the new CBA and getting a seven-year term, Tambellini has secured Hall until the age of 28. He captured three years of unrestricted free agency from Hall, and the term puts him somewhere deep into his prime when this deal expires.

In a city that has traditionally watched star players flee, Hall's commitment is like gold with this fan base. As would Eberle's be. And with those two signed, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Nail Yakupov, and Justin Schultz in the fold, recruiting free agents to put the Oilers over the top gets easier all the time.

The cons? Injuries, obviously. In two seasons Hall has played 65 and 61 games.

As we all said of him after watching him barge up and down the wing with the Windsor Spitfires, Hall's style could lead to injury. So far, it has.

But we learned long ago that you should not judge a young player based on various injuries. Hall had a chronic shoulder problem that's been repaired, and twisted his ankle in an ill-advised fight as a rookie.

I recall Jarret Stoll leaving the Oilers as a player whose career might forever be stunted by concussions. All he is today is a supremely effective third-line centre on the most dominant Stanley Cup winner in years.

Whether or not he turns into their best player over the long haul, Taylor Hall is the face of the Oilers franchise. Just as importantly, he is the salary bar under which a talented collection of players will gather.

Nice signing, nice player.

Maybe, soon enough, that will translate to playoff hockey in Edmonton.

Mark Spector is the senior columnist on sportsnet.ca

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Sportsnet.ca / Spector on CHL: PA raising important questions

"The CHL does a great job of developing players," said CHLPA spokesperson Derek Clarke. "They don't do such a great job of taking care of them after their career is done at the age of 20." (Photo: CP/Jacques Boissinot)

Mark Spector

It is easy to dismiss the mysterious appearance of the new junior hockey union as disorganization, or unpreparedness. Or to look at its choice as executive director -- the flamboyant dabbler Georges Laraque -- and question his legal acumen, or ability to stay on task with a cause.

But credit the fledgling Canadian Hockey League Players' Association with this: Whether or not the current organization survives its infancy, the questions it has raised may change junior hockey forever.

It is long overdue that the CHL explain how an education package earned by a player through long bus rides, the sacrificing of a high school experience, and spending most of the late teenage years away from family can simply evaporate 12 to 18 months after leaving junior hockey.

That is how it works today: if the player does not enroll in a CHL-approved educational institution in an all too short time frame set out by the CHL the package just disappears.

That's why, in the OHL, a top draft pick can be offered an education package worth as much as $15,000 -- because he likely won't use it. A late draft selection, meanwhile, will be offered one-third of that college money, as he is more likely to attend school (in the WHL, the education package is standardized).

"We want to abolish that 12 months," said CHLPA spokesperson Derek Clarke, "and be able to administer our own fund on top of the CHL fund, which would allow the kids to go to trade school if need be, such as becoming a welder or a mechanic."

In a wide-ranging conversation with sportsnet.ca, Clarke outlined the many goals of the CHLPA, a group that plans to make its application to CHL president David Branch on Friday to organize all CHL players. Here are a few of the CHLPA's stated goals:

To make educational money earned by players accessible for up to four years after they have played their last professional hockey game. And to use a portion of that money to assist former junior players in living expenses incurred while chasing the professional dream.

To institute a $1.50 ticket surcharge on all CHL tickets that would go directly into the CHL education fund.

To loosen restrictions on educational avenues for which scholarship money can be used. Whether it be trade schools or university, the current rules in some junior leagues are restrictive, Clarke said.

The establishment of an entrepreneurial package, for former junior players who would rather start their own business than attend post-secondary schools.

"The CHL does a great job of developing players," Clarke said. "They don't do such a great job of taking care of them after their career is done at the age of 20."

Players earn scholarship money for each season spent playing major junior hockey. The CHLPA hopes to establish an educational bank account for each of those players and augment that with funds from the aforementioned game ticket surcharge and Hockey Canada events like the World Junior Hockey Championship (where CHL players help Hockey Canada to reap millions in profits).

When that player is done with CHL hockey, Clarke says, that bank account should be used whenever each player wants, and for whatever type of path they choose for establishing themselves in a future career.

In addition the CHLPA wants players' shares for imaging and branding, video games, and most pointedly, a share from a World Junior Hockey Championship that -- using current NHLPA numbers -- would have put

$12,000 into every player's educational account from just last year's WJHC event in Alberta, Clarke says.

"(Hockey Canada) will have no choice but to play ball with us once we get our recognition," Clarke, 43, said. "CHL players in those events would be part of the union membership, we would surely ask the PA be adequately compensated for that."

Of course, there are serious hurdles for the CHLPA to clear before its official formation. If the CHL does not voluntarily accept its union status, it must apply for registration in nine provinces and four states. Clarke says the CHLPA has legal counsel working pro bonoin all those jurisdictions, adding that nobody within the organization is being paid currently.

So they can withstand the start-up financially, Clarke says. The union would have to organize nearly 1,500 players between the ages of 16-20, which is also no small task.

Whether they are successful or not, you can just see David Branch and his CHL governors looking inwards at junior hockey's own practices, and examining how to fix the issues that leave them open to the formation of a union.

Why are the WHL's education packages uniformed, while the OHL's are not? Why does one league give four years of education to a player who suffers a career-ending injury, while another does not?

What about the kid who is used in four CHL games at age 16, disqualifies himself from the NCAA, and then gets cut? Who is protecting his rights?

The book is thick, and it will take some time to read. But thank the CHLPA for one thing, they have opened it to Chapter 1.

That's more than anyone else has done for junior hockey players in a long, long time.

Mark Spector is the senior columnist on sportsnet.ca

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