Lockout here we come. F***ers.

I’m hella pissed if this really has legs.

Since the PA did not “deny” realignment but did not approve it by the deadline instead, apparently. Semantics are semantics, but they can be important.

Still. Rage. Lots of rage.

He probably is trying to get some concession from the league or something, but has no real legal footing in the leagues eyes.

Where did this come from? There was no hint that the realignment was contingent upon the NHLPA!!

I’m a fairly new fan and this alienates the shit out of me! I can’t stand the playoff format and staying up past midnight for West Coast games.

Are the east coast teams that opposed realignment behind this? It’s obvious the power brokers in the NHL are based in the east.

Way to kill the new fan base dumbshits!

I just flipped the channel off the Rangers/Pens game and onto the Rockets/Thunder game.

TAKE THAT NHLPA!!!!!

It’s not like the West are stuck on planes or anything.

I was so looking forward to the new conference and only 4/5 late nights starts…

that if I wrote them here I’d probably get fired.

I’m sure both sides had a part in this, but the fact of the matter is that the fans, the ones who pay to go to games, who travel to see their team on the road, who shelling out a boatload of dough on season tickets and apparel and beer, are being forgotten — by BOTH sides. We, as fans, are the ones that suffer from this type of labor dispute.

And honestly, the NHL should remember that their fanbase isn’t as big as the NFL or MLB, so if they have any type of work shortage coming up (again) for the second time in 5-6 years, they’re going to hurt themselves so much long term that they are going to kick themselves hard in the shins.

Eastern teams are unhappy with the new traveling schedule, and the way the playoffs will be ran are a big issue too.

saying the PA rejected it because they weren’t consulted, and the league responded badly to their requests for more information, such as scheduling examples to show the duration of road trips.

But come on! Even if this is an attempt to shove back against the NHL, it was poorly handled. You have to know when to fight and when to back down, and this certainly was not the time to fight. Donald Fehr, you should be ashamed! A great deal of the fans, and I’ll bet many of the players, found this realignment to be a pretty decent plan. While it wasn’t without flaws, arguing over semantics against something that the vast majority of people found to be good is foolish and an awful PR move.

All this is leading to is another lockout thanks to the moron Fehr. What possible reason could the players have for not liking it? Crosby, who like it or not is the face of the NHL and therefore, the NHLPA, said "I think that’s pretty much what we’re used to except we’re adding a couple teams. I don’t think it’s that big of a deal. I think everyone’s probably happy with that. Washington’s a pretty good rival. I don’t see anyone being disappointed about this." Travel time did not increase substantially for any team but the Florida ones, and it decreased for most teams.

http://starsblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2012/01/nhlpa-responds-to-nhls-press-release-on.html

The backlash on this is going to be so bad that the two sides will get their shit together and come up with something within a week

Minnesota’s owner is “disappointed” and one of Winnipeg’s owners is going to have a news conference tomorrow. They probably need tonight to compose a statement that does not consist solely of four-letter words.

That is all.

Now the Stars have a better mathematical chance to make the playoffs next year. I guess I’m in the minority, but I’ll take that over staying up late for a few extra games.

I’m so sick of these 9:30 game times. F this crap.

Who the hell do you think you are NHLPA? What right do you have to decide how the league is run? You’re not the league, you’re not the schedulers, and you’re certainly not the people who go to the trouble of setting up the TV rights and all those other fancy tid bits that allow you to become millionaires on national TV.

You know in England we have a Players’ Union, but they have no say in how the league is run. Sure it hasn’t changed dramatically in it’s construction, but there is no CBA, there is none of this lockout rubbish because “oh no, I have to fly to deepest darkest Anaheim, how will I ever cope”.

It’s not about you idiots. It’s not about what feels right for you. I don’t care you have to fly, I know that’s not popular with you lot who like to have busses and trains to games, which is utterly unfathomable to 100% of the Western Conference, but seriously have you (the East, mainly) ever played for a Western team, or have any idea what it’s like to be a Western fan (one that lives in the UK anyway!?)?

Honestly, it sounds like these guys are on minimum wage and the office Christmas party got cancelled. If your on HALF A MILLION DOLLARS A YEAR you should MAN UP and PUT UP with it. This was right for us fans, it was right for the West and it was right for the league. So yeah whatever there are unbalanced divisions, doesn’t actually remove the fact that in reality the 8 team conferences will have more whipping boys than the 7 team conferences, making the smaller ones almost certainly more competitive.

Seriously I don’t get it, they get enough money as it is to play a game. THERE ARE PEOPLE IN THIS WORLD WHO CAN’T EVEN AFFORD CENTRE ICE TO WATCH THESE GAMES.

I love the game and would hate to see a lockout.

The only teams I slightly feel for are the Panthers and Lightning, I guess it isn’t ideal, but it’s still in the same timezone and the flights are no different to what Vancouver would have to do in flying to Phoenix and Anaheim.

Sorry Jets, sorry Wild, sorry Stars, hell sorry to the whole of California you’re still going to Texas an ungodly amount.

Fortunately I can sleep easy knowing the Stars players were unanimous in voting for this and there’s been a lot of excitement for this to happen.

Good luck in getting a Western team to give you a contract when yours runs out in New Jersey, Parise.

/rant