You know, a lot of people are complaining that there is nothing — No ECHL, no AHL, etc — teams around in the Tampa Bay area to fill the void while the NHL and NHLPA continue to cry and fight with each other…

That’s not exactly the case.

USA Junior Hockey has 4 teams in the state of Florida — one in Tampa Bay — making up the Southeast Junior Hockey League. I personally have not experienced the SEJHL, so I can’t say that these are the best leagues out there — but they are out there none the less.

Tampa Bay hosts the Oldsmar / Tampa Bay Sandsharks playing out of the Tampa Bay Skating Academy in Oldsmar, Florida. The Sandsharks boast a former member of the Lightning — Pat “Jabber” Jablonski — as assistant Head Coach.

Tickets are cheap, folks… Season tickets cost about as much as a single Lightning game ticket (but then again, a portion of the SEJHL season is already gone). The next game is Saturday night at TBSA in Oldsmar at 7 PM.

If someone checks out the game — please email me with a game report about the quality of play and such. I’d love to hear about it. Heck, I might even check out it out myself if I can.

Taken from Lightning: Lightning’s union rep is pessimistic — A St. Petersburg Times article by Tom Jones which features and interview with one of the lightning’s player reps — Tim Taylor.

“If the owners are still talking a $31-million salary cap, yeah, the season is going to go down the drain,” said Taylor, the Lightning’s player representative. “We want to negotiate a fair deal for both sides. I’m discouraged there haven’t been more talks. I feel bad for the fans. I hope this is temporary, but I don’t know.”

Riddle me this, Tim: How can you negotiate when neither side is willing to sit down and talk? How can you negotiate when the Union, that you are a member of, has only extended 2 offers to the owners in over a year and neither of them granted concessions from the players as-so-much the owners? Do you mind explaining that to me and the fans you and your Union are alienating?

You talk about the 31 million dollar cap — you don’t even seem to think that the number can be negotiated higher by the NHLPA if they were to try to collectively bargain?

“I felt good after the meeting,” Taylor said. “The guys who spoke out (recently) are minor leaguers, guys who have played 50 games in the NHL. They don’t speak for the majority. But you know what? The NHLPA is fighting for those guys, too.”

And yet the reason these players are speaking out is becuase the NHLPA doesn’t seem to be “fighting” for those guys. The bit-men will remain bit-men in this league when the dust clears and the stars will remain the stars… The issue isn’t how little players will make in the end, but how much players should be allowed to make and how much of the league revenues they should be allowed to make…

The Mike Commodore’s aren’t the problem - it’s the Chris Chelios’, the Tim Taylor’s and the Chris “Ten Million a Year and loving it!” Pronger’s of the NHL that are screwing up the works.

“We’re not trying to make more money. That’s not what this is about. We just want a fair deal.”

I’m still waiting for anyone in the NHLPA to define what is “fair”? 75 percent of revenues coming into the league is fair? Fair is alienating the people who pay your salaries (the fans)?

Stop acting above this, Tim Taylor, and other members of the NHLPA… Goodenow’s pomposity is only good enough for so long - and with either side not trying to resume talks, that pomposity has run it’s course and now it’s time to swallow your pride and start to try to deal.

TSN.ca - NHL - Canada’s Sports Leader

“Yes, it’s done,” Lecavalier’s agent Kent Hughes said Thursday from Westwood, Mass. “The situation is great for Vinny, being able to join a lineup with such elite NHL players.”

Terms of the deal have not been disclosed, but previous reports have said the offer is for as much as $300,000 US net for every month Lecavalier stays in Russia.

This is actually a long time coming for Vinny. He vowed in April that he would play in Europe if there was a lockout.

It’s also another sign that high level players are trying to avoid the situation instead of speaking out or trying to get things moving in the NHL which is a joke in itself.