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Ovi: "We're Not Going To Give Up"

September 4, 2012, 1:33 PM ET [90 Comments]
GARTH'S CORNER
NHL news by Garth • RSSArchiveCONTACT
Its one thing for an NHLPA negotiating committee member like Mathieu Darche or Kevin Westgarth to be critical of Gary Bettman and the NHL owners.

Its a whole new ballgame when one of the top three players in the world is chirping the owners and their negotiating tactics.


Alex Ovechkin's post-skate media session caused a huge ripple effect through the entire hockey community. Not just here in North America, but in Europe and his mother Russia as well. Ovechkin and several of his Caps team mates skated informally in suburban Virginia. After the skate, Ovechkin didn't sugar coat his feelings about several hot topics, including: the impending NHL lockout; why NHL owners have signed players to long term, high dollar contracts and now they want to claw back money from players with existing deals; playing in Russia during the lockout.

Ovi, sporting his best Private Pyle brush cut as an homage to his 700 NHL bros who are about to go to war with the 30 NHL owners, spoke candidly, directly and from the heart when he was questioned by Katie Carerra of the Washington Post, and three other reporters. “I’m one of the soldiers on the NHLPA", Ovechkin said of his buzz cut that took Twitter by storm on Sunday night.



Here's the transcript from Ovechkin's best media scrum in years:


Q: What is your mind-set, given the labor uncertainty?

Ovechkin: Of course nobody wants to be in the position to be in the lockout, but it is what it is. We’re not going to give up.

It sounds like the players want the teams that are struggling to be stable. Is that fair?
Of course it’s fair. I think we want to help teams who financially is not that good and the league knows it. But they tell what they want, to think if they’re going to cut our salary and our contracts’ years, it’s going to help that. Why they still sign the guys for 10 years and five years? It looks strange and look stupid and they right now say, like, ‘We want to cut salary and want to cut everything.’ I think lots of guys, they just aren’t coming back if this happens.


How much faith do you have in Donald Fehr’s leadership?

Ovechkin: I’m very comfortable. I think everybody trusts him. We know exactly what we going to do. We feel exactly what’s going to happen. If it’s going to be lockout, there’s going to be lockout we ready for it. If we was not ready we’d probably sign that kind of paper [proposal] that they gave us, but we ready and we’re not going to give up.


Have you considered playing in Russia if there is a work stoppage?

Ovechkin: Of course I’m thinking about it because my hometown has teams and my Russian federation have a league. Of course I’m probably going to be there. But I don’t want to be there, I want to be here. My contract is here, I hope NHL and NHLPA gonna sign a deal before the 15th.


What do you think about owners trying to reduce salaries for contracts they agreed to?

I think it’s not fair for us. They still make money, they still sell tickets, they have money. Why they sign us to long-term deals and that kind of money to after that when the CBA is done they want to cut our salary? Why they want to cut 24 [percent]? Why don’t they want to cut 100 percent our salary?


Because they need the players?

Yeah. If they need us, how I say, if they going to cut a percentage of the contract and years, I don’t think lots of guys who signed American deals are going to come back and play here. It’s not reasonable to be here. You have to think of the future, you have to think of your family.


Do you think players would leave the NHL and play elsewhere for the rest of their careers?

Ovechkin: Yeah. Why not?

Would you do that? If they cut back salaries, 15-20 percent?

Ovechkin: I’m going to think about it, but I hope not. It’s something that the league wants to do it for all the players. [Sidney] Crosby just signed, [Ryan] Suter, [Shea] Weber just signed huge deals and they want to cut 24 percent for nothing? I don’t think it’s fair enough.

Feelings on where things stand now?

Ovechkin: I talk to Joe Reekie and he told me about all the situation. I don’t think we’re close enough to make a deal. It’s all about the owners and the Bettman.

People have talked about a 50-50 split. Do you think that would get it done?

Ovechkin: I think we know exactly what we’re going to do right now. I’m not going to tell you guys right now what’s in our mind.

How do you think another work stoppage will impact fans?

Ovechkin: Of course it’s going to be hard. Of course it’s going to be long time to wait, but it is what it is. Everybody wants to play hockey and make money; nobody wants to play for free.

You said the players are ready for a lockout. Has the NHLPA warned or prepared you?

Ovechkin: Not yet, because again, we’re going to wait until Sept. 15, but it’s something that we’re going to do soon as possible, I think.


Score. a direct hit.

The NHL owners have called the Board of Governors to NYC for a September 13 meeting. Its believed that the meeting will be to go around the room to get the approval to move forward with a lockout of the players on September 15.


The owners cannot be happy that one of their league's biggest stars is hammering away at their greedy, and at times self-serving business practices. The fans pay big money to watch Ovechkin play live and in person. The fans spend big money on his sweater and all chochkies that carry his trademark #8.

Bettman and the owners bullied the players into accepting a hard salary cap during the 2004-05 lockout. This time around, the debate is more financial than ideological.


The players are winning in the court of public opinion. They can cam more juice when guys like Ovechkin is face washing the owners.
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Congrats to Gabriel Landeskog being named the latest captain of the Colorado Avalanche at age 19. The kid's got huge huge and will have some pretty big skates to fill, following Joe Sakic, Adam Foote, and Milan Hejduk as the only captains in Avalanche history.



thanks, avalanche.nhl.com


Here's the official announcement from the Avs:


The Colorado Avalanche Hockey Club announced today that forward Gabriel Landeskog has been named team captain. Landeskog was appointed captain by Avalanche head coach Joe Sacco after Milan Hejduk informed the coaching staff that he has relinquished his role.

Hejduk, who served as captain during the 2011-12 campaign, will remain as an assistant captain this upcoming season along with Paul Stastny.

According to available research, at 19 years, 286 days, Landeskog is the youngest captain in NHL history. He is 11 days younger than Sidney Crosby, who was 19 years, 297 days when he was named captain of the Pittsburgh Penguins on May 31, 2007.

Landeskog becomes just the fourth captain in Colorado Avalanche history, joining Joe Sakic, Adam Foote and Hejduk. The Stockholm, Sweden native is the 11th captain in the history of the Avalanche/Nordiques franchise and only the third European-born, following Hejduk and Peter Stastny.

Landeskog captained the Kitchener Rangers (OHL) during his final season of junior hockey in 2010-11, becoming the first European captain in the 48-year history of the Rangers franchise. He was named captain at the age of 17 on Oct. 24, 2010, becoming the youngest player in 30 years to be named captain of the Rangers.

At the international level, Landeskog recently served as an alternate captain for Team Sweden at the 2012 IIHF World Championship in Helsinki and Stockholm. He was also an alternate captain for Sweden at the 2011 IIHF World Junior Championship in Buffalo, N.Y.

Landeskog won the 2012 Calder Memorial Trophy as the NHL’s rookie of the year. Colorado’s first pick (second overall) in the 2011 Entry Draft, Landeskog finished tied for first among rookies with 52 points (22 goals / 30 assists) while appearing in all 82 games. He was awarded the rookie scoring title in a tie-breaker over Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (18g/34a) on the basis of more goals. Landeskog ranked second among league rookies in goals and was third in assists, making him the only player to rank among the top three rookies in all three categories.

Landeskog also led all rookies in shots (270) and takeaways (58), while ranking second in plus/minus (+20), game-winning goals (5), power-play goals (6-tied) and hits (219). He is the second NHL rookie to ever surpass 20 goals and 200 hits in a season, joining Dion Phaneuf with Calgary in 2005-06.

Landeskog led the Avalanche in games, goals, plus/minus, shots, hits and GWG (tied). He became the youngest player in franchise history to lead the team in goal scoring. Landeskog’s 270 shots were a franchise rookie record and the second-highest total by a rookie left wing in NHL history. He became the first Swedish-born teenager in NHL history to reach either the 20-goal or 50-point milestone.
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Does this Landeskog promotion signal that Ryan O'Reilly and his leadership are no longer needed in Denver? How does Ryan O'Reilly look at this news? The kid's arguably the best player on the Avs right now. His contract expired two months ago and his team is in no hurry to sign him. To add insult to injury, he doesn't even get to wear a letter on his sweater.


O'Reilly isn't even a factor in Denver right now. Like Tyler Ennis, Jamie Benn, Evander Kane, Michael Del Zotto, and John Carlson, Ryan O'Reilly is a restricted free agent. He doesn't have a contract for next season and beyond with the lockout looming ten days away.


Its a shame.

According to capgeek.com, the Avs are $16,141,667 below the current $70,200,000 salary cap.
They have the money to sign O'reilly. So, why isn't he signed? Stastny ($6.6M), Parentau and Jones are newbies and still got paid ($4M each); Landeskog is earning $3.57s for this and next season. I expect the Avs to lock-up Landeskog to a Taylor Hall or Jordan Eberle style extension in the very near future before the CBA expires.

If I'm Darcy Regier, I dip my beak in the water to see whats doing with O'Reilly.

Ryan O'Reilly will wear a "C" on his sweater in an NHL town in the not too distant future. Just won't be in Denver.

Thats the type of leader he is. He's an honest, hard working, 200 foot player who inspires his team amtes much the same way that Jonathon Toews does.

O'Reilly propped Landeskog via Twitter after the news had broken about the Avs new captain being named:

"Congrats @GabeLandeskog92 on youngest captain in NHL history. Amazing player and even better guy."


Classy move by O'Reilly.



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