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NHLPA Ends Player Starvation by Writing Some Cheques |
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Let Them Eat Steak
The NHLPA reached deep on Saturday, and issued NHL players a $10,000 stipend to help get them through the holiday season. $10,000 if you're Darcy Hordichuk is a lot of money. $10,000 if you're Sidney Crosby is fire starter.
I shouldn't make jokes about the hard time players are going through. I mean, they've missed four pay-cheques at this point in the season. For most of us, four missed pay-cheques would lead to us losing our cars, our houses, and our wives. So can you imagine what this situation does to people who are use to barely scraping by even at the best of times? Horrifying!
Perhaps I'm a bad man, but I have no sympathy for the players or the owners, as they're doing this to themselves. The people I actually feel sorry for are the people who make an honest living for the teams. Front office staff, equipment guys, the people pouring me my Diet Coke...A number of teams have either issued layoff notices or have made staff take massive paycuts. They are the victims in all of this, and everyone involved in the lockout should be ashamed of what they're putting the staff and their families through.
All Walk; No Talk
Still no official response from the NHLPA with respect to the NHL's request to have players and owners meet. I read one Tweet that suggested the PA was willing to do it, but they wanted different owners involved in the conversation. Is it time for Daryl Katz? I think so.
Oilers fans need to calm down: Katz is not the demon you've been lead to believe. He's really, really quiet and private, so I'm not sure he's the right guy for this situation. But considering some of the owners you could bring to the table, Katz's combination of calmness + business savvy might be applicable. I'm not sure if Katz is a 'Hawk' or a 'Dove' here...Haven't heard anything specific as to where he sits on the lockout. It's not like the Oilers lost money or anything, but it's not like they made massive profits either. From what I understand the arena situation in Edmonton is anything but settled, so I'm sure Katz wants his team to make as much profit as possible with the current rink situation.
I'm still not convinced the players and owners meeting is a good idea, but you never know. The reason? I think both groups are well informed, and because of it, both sides will go into the discussion feeling very strong and unbendy. I'm not sure Donald Fehr shares everything with the players, but regardless, they're certainly well brainwashed. As far as the NHL side of things goes, and I know this statement might shock some of you, but I'm convinced Gary Bettman is a moderate compared to most of the owners. Meaning, there is more potential for a players/owners meeting to go horribly wrong than there is that potential during a little lawyer on lawyer action.
The fact that the NHLPA is dragging out their response to the owners is not at all a good sign. Obviously, they're still in "mind games" mode, which is disturbing. No one is showing any signs of urgency.
An Apology to Leafs Fans?
Look, I know it seems like I pick on you folks too often, but you always seem to respond to it, and that's good for business. Hey, we're all suffering during the lockout, including me. When there is NHL hockey and when I average 400,000+ page views per month, Eklund and the gang pay me thousands upon thousands of dollars for my insane ramblings. And now, with no hockey and with half the page views, all I get in my mailbox from Eklund once per month is a bag of frozen peas. This entire lockout wouldn't be happening if the Leafs didn't make $100mil per season in profit while consistently being terrible.
I need to spread around the love more, because I don't just think the Leafs are hideous. I also think the Habs, Flames and Canucks are cringe-worthy franchises. I don't pick on Ottawa because my buddy Travis Yost writes for them, and he's cool. I don't pick on the Jets because they still smell like a newborn baby. Give them five more seasons, and I'll hate on them plenty.
Leaf fans are allowed to make fun of the Oilers all they want in my comments section. In my mind, that's better than me offering an apology I don't actually mean.
Dear Stu, What Happened?
Hmmm...Looking at the list of players the Oilers drafted in 2012. Nail Yakupov, as we know, is doing amazing in the KHL this season, but after that? Fifth-round pick, defenseman Joey Laleggia is putting up huge offensive numbers this season. Everyone else appears to be a bust in one way or another. The guy who is really surprising me for all the wrong reasons is Mitchell Moroz. Four goals in 24 games is fugly. Is he playing hurt or something? It's not like the Oil Kings have been bad: Only 5 regulation loses in 27 games. A few people they thought would perform this season like Moroz and Curtis Lazar just aren't putting up numbers.
Let this be a lesson to you, kids: When going into the draft, trying to take a specific type of player never works. The Oilers loaded up with big wingers, taking Moroz, Jujhar Khaira and Daniil Zharkov in the 2nd and 3rd rounds. Well, in fairness to Khaira, it's a little harder to tell how it's going with him. He has 10pts and 33pims in 12 games on a terrible Michigan Tech team...Decent enough numbers. Not sure how his experience there compares to Moroz in the WHL or Zharkov in the OHL. Zharkov, in case you wondered, has 10pts in 27 games; meaning, Nail Yakupov's future roster spot on the Oilers is still safe.
Considering the success vs. failure rate of draft picks from the 2nd and 3rd rounds, let's hope one of the three (from the stats I just looked up, I'd bet the farm on Khaira) turns into an NHL player.
Edmonton Oilers Blogger • 
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