Putting Bad Feelings Aside; NHLPA Outdoor Game; & Free Beer
Arthur Staple at Newsday was able to speak with a couple of Rangers players about how they'll get along with the owners after the lockout is over.
Brad Richards...
"I think the league is still something we're fortunate to have. The players, we have to get through this, like any negotiation, but once it gets done, you've got to be professional. You go out, you play for the logo and the city you're living in. All that other stuff has got to be put aside, and I'm sure it will be. I don't think there's a lot of trust, that's why there is no deal yet, but there's nothing you can do about that now. We're way past that."
Mike Rupp...
"We all love the game. It's done so much for us . . . I don't know how you make it up to the fans or what you do, but usually the story lines take care of themselves over the course of the season. So we'll play the way we always play, play with our hearts, and hopefully that will help get some fans interested again."
...for me, the owners and players have officially lost the right to say anything they do is "for the fans" because this lockout has proved the only thing either one of them cares about is money. Period.
In other lockout news, if the NHL does cancel the season, Sportsnet’s Daren Millard reports that the NHLPA is planning an outdoor game in February at Lake Louise in Alberta, Canada.
Pro Hockey Talk has more on the outdoor game here.
...at least there's this.
Finally, reader @mrpopadapolis sends me the cruelest image of 2012...
...now that's just mean.
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i hope i'm right but fear for my love of the game that i'm wrong. i just hope after this gets resolved so i can get back into it. the one thing i detest in life is stupidity and this is right in the middle of it.
i maybe wrong, it wouldn't be the first time, but now that x-mas is over i think you'll see something get done. neither side can afford it not to and i don't think either side wanted to do it before the holidays. just a gut feeling.
@upstate tom i hope youre right but there's an assumption that lingers that the league and owners will/have been acting rationally. this is a grudge match now and it has been for awhile. i dont even think it's about the CBA anymore for betman and the league (jacobs). it's about crushing the players and the union and getting them to concede to their exact demands. do i wish it otherwise? OF COURSE. this is/has been in "petty" territory now though.
Even if they come back, who cares. The short season is for the owners to make money. I am done with hockey this year. I will decide about 2013.
