I’m not one to call out the media for inaccuracies (believe that if you will, oh constant reader ) but I had to stifle a little laugh while read Tom Jones’ column on the National Hockey League in today’s St. Petersburg Times….

Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux need to take a lead role for the owners. Gretzky is as respected in hockey as any person alive. When he speaks, players and owners listen. Lemieux, in the unique position of owner/player, can bring honest opinions that the owners and players both respect.

Meantime, where are the veteran NHL players? Where’s Joe Sakic? Where’s Brett Hull? Where’s Chris Chelios?

Um, Tom? You haven’t been paying much attention to TSN.ca, have you? You know, the one news source that consistantly publishes at least an article a week on Hockey (unlike the St. Petersburg Times right now).

For that matter, you haven’t been paying much attention to Boltsmag either….

Chris Chelios would be all too happy for the Lightning not to exist, along with plenty of other teams out there… So please, if you need to think of veterans who should be mouthing off — why not do us all a favor and use, how can I say this, credible veterans, instead of naming assclowns who would like nothing more than to see the franchise you write about pushing up daisy’s.

Once again, I make a plea — can someone point me to onlien photos of the St. Pete Times Forum / Ice Palace under construction?

Thanks.

It would seem that some of the marquee players for the Lightning are no longer going to sit back and play golf and do mundane tasks while they wait for the NHL to return.

Instead of voicing an opinion, Brad Richards is joining the 200+ NHL Players in Europe, agreeing to terms with AK Bars Kazan of the Russian Elite League. Tom Jones speculates Vincent Lecavalier and Nikolai khabibulin may soon be joining him.

It all started with a simple radio interview. Fan960 radio in Calgary interviewed Mike Commodore yesterday. They talked about Commodore’s time in Lowell of the AHL, and about Ville Niemenen’s injury. Then, the radio host asked him “Would you support a salary cap?” The answer has spurred a great deal of talk, even in the US.

“I’ll risk the slap on the wrist, I don’t want to spend however long my career lasts playing here in the American Hockey League (with Lowell), so I think whatever it takes.

“There’s different kinds of caps and it’s got to be a realistic one. You can’t cap it up at $30 million, we’re over that. It’s got to be realistic so both sides are making money.”

Commodore didnt just state he was willing to accept a cap, he took a shot at the union leadership:

“I don’t think it’s being handled well at all,” he said. “The thing is, you look at the PA and who’s in charge … it’s all the guys that have made $30 million playing this game. If there’s never another game of hockey … and they don’t make another cent playing in the NHL, they’re gonna be all right.

“There’s lots of guys in my shoes that if we miss a couple of years, that’s a huge deal.”

Mike Commodore came out and said what many fans have thought all along: The NHLPA isnt out to support the fringe players like Mike Commodore. They havent talked to him much, they just dont care about him.

What is most amazing about Commodore’s comments is that they even caused a Toronto based hockey writer to pen a quality column. Damien Cox used Commodore’s comments as a springboard for a columng for ESPN detailing the litany of contradictions between the union leadership, and union membership. Bob Mackenzie wrote an article for TSN.ca wondering if Commodore speaks for players at the lower end of the pay scale.

In case the NHLPA was hoping they could argue that Commodore was taken out of context despite it was a live interview, that plan was nixed when Commodore said the exact same words to the Calgary Herald later that day.

Maybe the union will tell him to state that, like Mike Ribiero, he didnt say what he said he did.

More likely, expect to see another $6 million + player, with $30 million in the bank to come out in support of the union within the next day or two.

Then consider who the union really supports.

I posted a couple of months ago that I was hoping to switch over to Wordpress from the current Movable Type version of Boltsmag….

I could use some input on this design….

Mind you, it’s still incomplete seeing I haven’t added my links (Lightning fan sites, hockey blogs, other blogs, etc) to the left hand navigation menu… but the overall gist of the site can be seen through the posted design.

os?ten?si?ble ( P ) Pronunciation Key (-stns-bl)
adj.
Represented or appearing as such; ostensive: His ostensible purpose was charity, but his real goal was popularity.

I have no clue if that definition fits for the OSHL but the thing is — this boid is done. The OSHL has folded.

Absolutely no action to report with the NHL or NHLPA. Brodeur went off on both sides (moreso the owners of course) for not bargaining and there is that upcoming meeting of player reps.

Besides that. Nothing.

So, knowing this… What are you visitors doing while Hockey isn’t around? Come on, don’t be shy - just talk. We’re all friends here - or are we?? :smile j/k

The floor is open..

From TSN.ca

“The NHLPA has scheduled a meeting with all player representatives on Nov. 2 in Toronto as part of our ongoing information updates during the owners’ lockout,” senior director Ted Saskin said Thursday.

Players are given daily updates through a secure website but this will be a chance for the 30 reps to hear directly from executive director Bob Goodenow and then relay the latest to their teammates. The third of 13 paycheques goes by the wayside Nov. 1 so players may need to be reassured of the union’s plan of attack.

Not to seem overly cynical but I feel like I already know the minutes of this meeting….

Goodenow: All right, shut the hell up. Just.. just… Just get your teamates to shut the hell up ok? I mean seriously - shut them the hell up. I mean, if you have to RIP THEIR GOD DAMN THROATS OUT, SHUT THEM THE HELL UP!!! This is about MONEY people! Money is thicker than Ice and we god damned deserve the green stuff and these whiny shits who actually want to PLAY a god damned game are fucking up the works!

You hear me?!? Shut them the hell up! Because if we keep allowing the Madden’s, the Kolnik’s the Ference’s of the league to mouth off, we might actually have someone who means something to the game mouth off about it! There is NO fucking chance I am going to let an Ignila, or Lecavalier, or Tanguay say “I want to play in the NHL again and it’s time to get back to the bargaining table.”

Mighty strong message to give to the players, Bob… Mighty strong message indeed. :tongue

EDIT: It would seem a high-level player has already mouthed off and I missed the news… Off-Wing Opinion, however, didn’t…

Ont he heels of Kolnik’s comments come Andrew Ference’s own words:

From TSN.ca by way of the Calgary Sun

“It’s asinine and it’s both sides,” Ference told the Sun. “How are you going to solve a conflict without communication? I don’t understand the motivation behind sitting around.

“Even if you’re not going to talk to the other guy, why not put forward some ideas you have so the public can see them and can say, ‘These guys are putting forward an effort.’

“I understand there’s an art to negotiation but right now, they’re pretty shitty artists.”

Blah…. All that there is to report is that the bastards have canceled games through December 2nd now…

And of course Bobby Orr — former defensive great and now player-agent — is getting as sick and tired of the non-movement as we, the fans, are.

From WWW.TSN.CA

“The time has come for the owners and players to let their feelings be known to Gary and Bob,” Orr told TSN in a telephone interview. “Neither one of them wants to be the first one to call the other because they think it’s a sign of weakness. Well, I hate to think we are going to lose an NHL season because these two guys are afraid of looking weak.

“The owners have to make Gary sit down with Bob and the players have to make Bob sit down with Gary. If they don’t get in a room and start a dialogue, nothing is going to happen. If you talk to people on both sides, they will tell you there is a deal to be made. But in order for the deal to be made, they have to be in the same room. They have to start talking.”

“The rest of the girls know Bobby did you wrong,” Bettman’s girlfriends in ownership should tell him, “but you guys were so good together and people needed you guys together. It hurts seeing you fight like this!”

Meanwhile, across town in a bar somewhere…

“That Bettman is a stone cold bitch, Bobby, but you were so happy,” Goodenow’s guy pals tell him. “You’re bumming all of us out sitting here drunk every day… Drunk with power, drunk with ego, drunk with shoddy liquor — why the hell are you drinking Zima?”

As the puck turns will continue — sometime this decade :tongue.