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Miller Must Represent NHLPA On Tuesday

December 2, 2012, 6:38 PM ET [50 Comments]
GARTH'S CORNER
NHL news by Garth • RSSArchiveCONTACT
If I get my Christmas wish, Ryan Miller will be seated nose to nose with Boston Bruins owner, Jeremy Jacobs, for the owners-NHLPA meeting which is scheduled to take place in Manhattan on Tuesday 12/4. I'd pay big money for a front row seat to witness a Miller-v-Jacobs mental chess match. I like Miller's chances to make Jacobs tap-out due to exhaustion.

My six player unit would consist of: Sidney Crosby, Jonathon Toews, Ryan Miller, George Parros, Steve Ott, and Shane Doan. Crosby, Toews, Miller, Parros and Ott have not been silent during this tenuous lockout. Doan has been present at NHLPA meetings and negotiating sessions. He adds perspective from not only this lockout but the 2004-05 work stoppage, too. All players have spoken candidly about their feelings for Jacobs, Bettman and the hawks who are trying to ram road their agenda and labor agreement down the throat of the NHLPA. The players have not been impressed. Crosby, Toews, and Miller have all been vocal in their support for Donald Fehr.

Miller has made his feeling about Jacobs and the owners abundantly cleaq during this NHL lockout. I feel like Miller is best suited to be one of six players at the table for these reasons. He's articulate. He's bright. He's well-read. He understands the business side of the game better than most. He says whats on his mind. He says the things that other people wish they had the nads to say. He's passionate. He's not afraid to speak his mind. He's mindful of the fans.

What better leadership skills do you need?

Miller won't be bullied. He's been vocal opponent to Bettman and Jacobs for their attempts to break the players union in an attempt to get the players to agree to the league's proposal of 50-50. Miller and his 750 fellow NHLPA members stand stoically behind their leader Donald Fehr. Miller hasn't been afraid to call a spade a spade during this work stoppage.

You'll recall that Miller vented his spleen to the Globe and Mail last month:

“After watching the other sport leagues go through labour disputes last year, it is apparent that until decertification is filed, there will not be any real movement or negotiation,” Miller wrote in an e-mail to The Globe and Mail. “Many things in our negotiation are very consistent with the NFL and NBA negotiations, and both of those leagues filed papers necessary to decertify.

“It seems like the players in any league are going to be subjected to the same scripted labour dispute developed by [NHL and NBA law firm] Proskauer Rose in all collective bargaining discussions now and in the future. Decertification becomes part of the script because Gary Bettman and the owners are trying to get a sense of how far they can push us and at some point we have to say ‘enough.’

“They want to see if we will take a bad deal because we get desperate or if we have the strength to push back. Decertification is a push back and should show we want a negotiation and a fair deal on at least some of our terms.”


Miller also has had regard for the league advertisers and sponsorship partners , as well as the fans and all league employees. Miller has had it up to here with Bettman and Jacobs pounding their chests like King Kong during this 78 day old lockout.

“I am tired of the disregard and the ego,” Miller said. “Our fans and sponsors are alienated, and this is hurting the game. This process has more of the appearance of brand suicide than a negotiation.”


Miller's comments from early October still resonate through these at-times ugly negotiations.

"Sad that owners don't see the deal that is there to be made without a lockout."

"It has been there the whole time if they wanted it. I'm waiting for the owners who love the game and want to play to say enough is enough."


There was no need for the owners to lock out the players other than to chisel their percentage of hockey related revenue down from 57% to 50% in year one. This lockout was created by and is being executed by the owners. Miller's not impressed.

"If they showed us they have respect for the game and respect for the players the deal would come much sooner than using a lockout to hurt us."


Joining the villainous Jacobs will be:

Murray Edwards of Calgary, Ronald Burkle of Pittsburgh, Jeffrey Vinik of Tampa, Mark Chipman of Winnipeg, and Larry Tannenbaum of Toronto. Interesting mix when you consider two of the owners are established in the league, while four others are brand new to the ownership process. I must say that I'm shocked that Terry Pegula was omitted from this meeting list. Pegula has been a remarkable owners since February 22, 2011. I'd love to know why he was a scratch from this meeting. Perhaps his "if I needed to make money, I'd drill another hole" comment has taken aback the crusty incumbents like Jacobs, Snider, and the NHL old guard owners.

Be that as it may, its all the more reason for the players to send Miller to the octagon to fight for the players.



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Huge props to Mikhail Grigorenko. The Russian Assassin scored his 25th goal of the season Sunday afternoon in Quebec's win at Baie Comeau.

Grigo's rocket one-timer was in and out of the net before the goalie know it went in! Another GWG for Grigo.
Grigo now has 25 goals and 21 assists in just 27 games this season.

If the NHL owners and players can bury their hatches and they can arrive at a new CBA agreement this week, Grigo will likely be Buffalo's #1 centre heading into a truncated training camp. Buffalo's best centre options are hurting. Hodgson (hand), Ennis (shoulder), and Adam (lower body) would all be less than 100% were a training camp to open at this time next week.

Grigo is healthy and would likely be Buffalo's #1 centreman.

Grigo is now the fourth best scorer in the highly offensive QMJHL:

Player Team GP G A PTS PIM
1 Josh Currie P.E.I., Rocket 28 games 26 goals 25 assists 51 points
2 Ben Duffy P.E.I., Rocket 28 games 19 goals 30 assists 49 points
3 Nathan MacKinnon Halifax, Mooseheads 27 games 22 goals 25 assists 47 points
4 Mikhail Grigorenko Québec, Remparts 27 games 25 goals 21 assists 46 points
5 Dmitri Jaskin Moncton, Wildcats 28 games 22 goals 23 assists 45 points



The Sabres haven't had a scoring centreman stud prospect like Grigorenko since Pierre Turgeon tore up The Q.



Sneaky Pete torched The Q while with the Granby Bisons the seson before he made his debut in Buffalo. In 58 games, Turgeon scored 69 goals and added 85 assists for 154 points.




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Congrats to Sabres super prospect, Joel Armia. “The Finnisher” has been names to Fionland’s preliminary World Junior Championships roster. In 22 games this season in Pori, Armia has 9 goals and 4 assists.

He dominated for Finland at last year’s WJCs, scoring 5 goals and 2 assists in 7 games played.


Armia has missed the better part of the past three weeks due to a vicious elbow to the head. Armia was diagnosed with a concussion and he cannot resume play until he’s totally symptom free.

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Congrats to my old buddy, Danny Paille. The former Sabre has signed to play with Ilves in the Finnish Elite League, where he joins NHLers Max Talbot and Anders Lindback.

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Congratulations to Mikhail Grigorenko’s Quebec Remparts teammate, Nick Sorensen, who has been named to Sweden’s preliminary WJC roster.

Sorensen has 9 goals and 15 assists in 23 games played in Quebec this season.


He’s NHL draft eligible, and I would love to see Buffalo make a move to draft him to play with Grigo.


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Stick tap to Steve Ott and his brothers of the NHLPA for organizing a special event called:

"Rock Out The Lockout" at Windsor's WFCU Centre on Saturday December 8th.

All proceeds will benefit SPARKLES From Above, a non-profit organization which works with ‘In Honour of the Ones We Love’. Sparkles was originally created after the passing of a young child due to cancer.

In addition to seeing some of North America's greatest hockey stars, you will also have the chance to win the shirt off their backs right after the game. Anyone who purchases a ticket has the opportunity to win one of the game worn jerseys by any of the "Rock Out For Lockout" NHL players. Random seat numbers will be selected at the end of the game - and those seats will win the jersey following the end of game whistle.

The tournament is spearheaded by Sabres tough guy Steve Ott, Red Wings vet Dan Cleary and Oilers captain Shawn Horcoff.

NHLers scheduled to play include:

Justin Abdelkader
Todd Bertuzzi
Adam Burish
Daniel Cleary
Matt Ellis
Cory Emmerton
Vern Fiddler
Johan Franzen
Darren Helm
Shawn Horcoff
Jordan Leopold
Matt Martin
Jamal Mayers
Brenden Morrow
James Neal
Steve Ott
Sergei Samsonov
Thomas Vanek
Kevin Westgarth
Jonathan Ericsson
Tom Gilbert
Kronwall, Niklas
Nick Schultz
Ian White
Ryan Wilson
James Wisniewski
Keith Yandle
Jonas Gustafsson
Jimmy Howard
Michael Leighton
Drew Stafford
Trevor Daley
John Michael Liles
Mike Komisarek
Matthew Lombardi
Kyle Wellwood

Additional players to be announced this week. Roster subject to change.

The game will be standard hockey play with three twenty minute stop play periods. Please note game subject to cancellation if NHL and NHLPA reach an agreement with players prior to Thursday December 6th, 2012 at 5:00pm EST.

The NHLPA Charity Game in Atlantic City last weekend has already raised $500,000 for Super Storm Sandy relief.

Ott and his gang would love to raise the same amount, if not more for the pediatric cancer charity.


I think it would be great if the Atlantic City charity game would play the Windsor charity game in a makeshift Stanley Cup final of NHLPA events.


TICKET INFORMATION

Tickets on sale Thursday November 22nd at 10:00am. Tickets can be purchased at the TekSavvy.com Box Office inside the WFCU Centre, charge by phone at 1-866-969-WFCU or click GET TICKETS.


TICKET PRICES (Includes HST and facility fees)

$41.75 reserved seating Seating layout:

$137.00 family four pack


Convenience fee applies to all telephone and internet orders




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His team is middling in its division standings at 9-9-8, having just lost three games in a row. They've now lost four of their last six games. They are down-trending. Two losses to division rivals Toronto and an embarrassing loss on home ice to the lowly San Antonio Rampage earlier this week has Marcus Foligno in a bad mood. Abbottsford, the top team in the league is on their dance card in recent days. Things will get tougher before hey get better for the Amerks.

Though Marcus leads his team with 19 points in 20 games, he's getting frustrated by the losing. Rather than sulk about it, Foligno is channeling his aggression in other areas, as a means to kick-start his injury-riddled Rochester Amerks squad. Hodgson, Girgensens, Sundher, Rankin, MacKenzie are a few of the Amerks injury problems of late. Lines are presently being scrambled and continuity is lost. Hockey is a war of attrition. Sabres fans know all too well what effect injuries can have on a team's goals and aspirations to play high-level, winning hockey. Hodgson's absence (broken hand, may return this week) has really crippled the Amerks in that they don't have a dynamic centre who can create, and thrive on the PP.

Girgensons has surprised everyone in his rookie season with his scud missile style of play. He plays hard hockey and he loves to bang bodies. His upper body ailment is preventing him from playing (may return possibly this week). No other player has stepped up to deliver the thunder like Girgo.

Mark Mancari and Luke Adam are mired in miserable scoring slumps right now.

Mancari has gone 11 games without a goal, the second-longest stretch of his eight-year career. Adam has gone seven games without a point.


In Saturday night's loss in Toronto, Foligno absolutely destroyed Marlies tough guy, Will Acton, with five of the stiffest bombs you'll see anywhere. As evidenced by this punch in the face contest, Foligno's right hand is like Nyquil. It puts people into a deep sleep.



Thanks, sabresprospects.com



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Speaking of hearing bells....


Congratulations to Sabres tough guy, Steve Ott.

Ott tweeted late Saturday night that he asked his long time girlfriend, Erica Rene, to marry him. Erica accepted.

Proving that not everything that has transpired during the lockout has been a negative.


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In case you missed it, I posted this at 9:09am on Saturday 12/1.


Hours after the news had permeated Pegulaville that Sabres Captain, Jason Pominville, is leaving Monday to play for DEL Adler Mannheim, comes news that Sabres centre, Tyler Ennis, has been injured, for a second time while playing for the SCL Tigers in Switzerland.


According to Szymon Szemberg of the IIHF, Ennis' European playing days are done, for now.

Ennis will require further evaluation and he is en route back to North America for treatment of the unknown injury. Ennis missed SCL's past two games (Davos, Lugano) after suffering his most recent injury on 11/24 vs. EV Zug.

Ennis injured his shoulder in October, which forced him to sit out several games.

He's only played in ten games in the months in his time in Austria, scoring three goals and adding five assists. Was it worth his while to play overseas during the 77 day old NHL lockout?

Its not known right now if Ennis suffered another injury to his previously dinged-up shoulder. According to two newspaper reports in Switzerland, Ennis has suffered an injured shoulder and he has requested his release so that he can have his injury attended to by his physician. Whether his doctor is in Buffalo, or in his offseason home of Edmonton, is not known at this time. One thing is for certain: Ennis cannot be cared for by the Buffalo Sabres team doctors during the NHL lockout. All players are locked out from their teams trainers, physicians, physical therapists, chiropractors, dentists, etc.

However, the Sabres should be concerned about their veteran pivot, who ended last season as the team's #1 centre. Stafford, Ennis and Foligno took charge of the Sabres offense in the final 12 games of last season and created a metric ton of offense in the final month of the season. In the end, all of their production was not enough to catapult the Sabres into a playoff spot. He ws sideline twice with serious ankle injuries in 2012. When healthy, Ennis was a lethal weapon.



Organizationally, the Sabres are very thin at centre right now with Ennis and Hodgson (broken right hand) injured. CoHo skated this week in the red "no contact" vest. The suddenly struggling Amerks are hoping that he may be cleared to return this week. Luke Adam returned to the Amerks lineup Friday night vs. Toronto, after missing three games with a lower body deal. Phil Varone has been nursing an injury himself of late as well. Evan Rankin is also injured.


With every passing day of this lockout, and every new and nagging injury that occurs to their centre corps, the Sabres are looking at Mikhail Grigorenko with an eye towards their present, rather than their future. Grigo has been machine-gunning down opponents in the Q, scoring 24 goals and 20 assists in 26 games in Quebec already this season.

Were the lockout to end Monday 12/3, its very possible that Grigo would be Buffalo's #1 centre on the depth chart in the brief, yet important training camp.


Ennis chose to play for SCL because he was given the opportunity to play with his boyhood friend, and fellow Edmontonian, Jared Spurgeon of the Minnesota Wild. Spurgeon is reportedly injured, and is heading home from the Swiss Alps also along with Ennis so that he too can seek further medical treatment.

More to come on this story...


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