Defending Big D, a Dallas Stars community

So I think we can all assume that this is no longer worth a full article, but a writeup must be done. We're used to the NHL canceling games by now, but this time it comes with an assumed drop date for the league. What does that mean? Well it means that if no CBA is reached by January 15th, the NHL is going nuclear and taking out the season. All the legal stuff that's been going on the past couple weeks seems to make that deadline a hell of a challenge to meet, so the doomsday sayers can begin their chanting now. Well, the doomsday sayers in regards to the NHL. People who think the world is going to end tomorrow (today in Australia and New Zealand) are still really, really stupid. 625 games have been canceled thus far, over 50% of the NHL schedule.

You make us fly all the way up to Toronto, then show us three proposals we don't like? Oh yeah? Take this! Harrumph!

I get asked a lot in various media what I think of the pending NHL lockout. This post for SB Nation's NHL hub sums up my thoughts. (Only 630 words!) Or, in about 40 words: I'm not aligned to either side. Both have done quite well under the current CBA and will do quite well under the next one. Both leaders are very clever men whose public statements are to be seen as negotiating tactics, and nothing more. I'd rather talk about Bridgeport now.

Best line in Lance Hornby's report. "Bettman and union executive director Donald Fehr couldn't even agree on who decided to end the talks Friday, Bettman insisting he was free to chat and Fehr offering to talk about minor CBA points." Coming Soon: "Bulldogs and Nailers Eyes on The Prize"

"At this point, talks are recessed." -- Donald M. Fehr. That's paraphrased, as we've seen it in variations on Twitter. This post links over to Defending Big D and provides a better glimpse at the breaking news that NHL Ownership adn the Players Association are at an impasse.

TSN is reporting that the NHL and NHLPA have come to an agreement in the never-ending Ilya Kovalchuk contract/CBA circumvention hubbub, grandfathering the Devils' deal with the sniper — and other "under investigation" contracts — and establishing news rules on contract length and player age. More to come on this as details are released.

No later than March... he's been in charge of the Players' Association since 1983. He's a lot of fun to hate, but it's easy to remember the strike and the reluctance to embrace steroid testing... and forget that he helped break collusion, prevent contraction, and achieved a number of other things that have made the game better off than it was in 1983. Michael Weiner, current GC, looks like the heir apparent.

Linked by RowBot S-Train What will this mean for the next CBA, for player's rights? What will this mean for the owners and the teams? Will this weaken the union? Will player contracts swing one way or the other now?