Thread: 2012/2013 Chicago Blackhawks Thread

Originally Posted by vmx12

Hope you're right. Without football I'll be climbing the walls especially in northern Illinois where there's nothing to do until late March when the weather changes.

Yup even tho we can look forward to the offseason as Bears fans now, Blackhawks are doing well killing the long offseason.. Guess I'll have to start following the Bulls heaver if they don't sort this shit out asap...

http://espn.go.com/nhl/story/_/id/88...kout-continues

Mediator hosts NHL sides separately

NEW YORK -- The NHL and NHL Players' Association went a second straight day without a formal in-person negotiating session, although the sides remain engaged in mediation.
The league and union met separately with federal mediator Scot Beckenbaugh during a series of meetings that spanned the whole day Friday and late into the evening. They plan to continue the process Saturday.

Few details emerged about the scope or subject matter of those meetings and whether progress was forged, although a source told ESPN that both sides expressed signs of flexibility to the mediator.
With exactly one week left until the league's self-imposed deadline of Jan. 11 to reach a deal, the NHL and NHLPA have resorted to "shuttle mediation" since the fallout from the last time they met in person Wednesday night.
That negotiating session was marked by the NHLPA's decision not to file a disclaimer of interest by the midnight deadline, although the hope that a new deal could be close abated Thursday morning after reports of tension between the sides.
The NHLPA was angered by the league's attempt to change language in one area of the CBA, that which pertains to the penalization of teams that are found guilty of hiding hockey-related revenue.
That issue has since been resolved, a source informed ESPNNewYork.com, although the lack of trust between the sides seemed to resurface.
The NHLPA initiated a vote Thursday evening to provide again the union's executive board with the authority to file a disclaimer of interest. The 48-hour voting window expires Saturday at 6 p.m. ET.
With no formal negotiations between the sides since midweek, nerves continue to fray with the season hanging in the balance.
All regular-season games already have been canceled through Jan. 14, and NHL commissioner Gary Bettman has set Jan. 11 as the deadline to reach a new CBA and avoid the entire season being scrapped.
The sides have traded four proposals in the past week -- two by each side -- but none has gained enough traction. Getting an agreement on a pension plan likely would go a long way toward an agreement that would put hockey back on the ice.
NHLPA executive director Donald Fehr believed a plan for players-funded pension was established before talks blew up in early December. That apparently wasn't the case, or the NHL has changed its offer regarding the pension in exchange for agreeing to other things the union wanted.
The salary-cap number for the second year of the deal -- the 2013-14 season -- hasn't been agreed to, and it is another major point of contention. The league is pushing for a $60 million cap, while the union wants it to be $65 million with a floor of $44 million.
In return for the higher cap number players would be willing to forgo a cap on escrow.
Both sides seem content on the deal lasting for 10 years, but they have different opinions on whether an opt-out should be allowed to be exercised after seven years or eight.
The NHL proposed last Thursday that pension contributions come out of the players' share of revenues, and $50 million of the league's make-whole payment of $300 million will be allocated and set aside to fund potential underfunded liabilities of the plan at the end of the collective bargaining agreement.
Last month, the NHL agreed to raise its make-whole offer of deferred payments from $211 million to $300 million as part of a proposed package that required the union to agree on three nonnegotiable points. Instead, the union accepted the raise in funds, but then made counterproposals on the issues the league stated had no wiggle room.
"As you might expect, the differences between us relate to the core economic issues which don't involve the share," Fehr said of hockey-related revenue, which likely will be split 50-50.
The NHL is the only North American professional sports league to cancel a season because of a labor dispute, losing the 2004-05 campaign to a lockout. A 48-game season was played in 1995 after a lockout stretched into January.

Originally Posted by The Benjamin

bring back hockey so I can use this dang it

Best goal horn ever..
More love for the Nucks:

NEW YORK -- The National Hockey League and the National Hockey League Players' Association reached agreement on the framework of a new Collective Bargaining Agreement early Sunday morning.


After a marathon 16-plus hour negotiating session at the Sofitel Hotel that began Saturday afternoon, the sides announced an agreement in principle shortly after 5 a.m. Sunday.


"Don Fehr and I are here to tell you that we have reached an agreement on the framework of a new Collective Bargaining Agreement, the details of which need to be put to paper," NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said. "We have to dot a lot of I's and cross a lot of T's. There is still a lot of work to be done, but the basic framework has been agreed upon. We have to go through a ratification process and the Board of Governors has to approve it from the League side and, obviously, the players have to approve it as well. We are not in a position to give you information right now about schedule, when we are starting. It's early in the morning and we have been at this all day and all night, obviously. But, we will be back to you very shortly, hopefully, later today with more information in that regard."


The new CBA, which still must be drafted and formerly approved by both parties, would replace the agreement that expired Sept. 15.


More to come.
http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=6...id=DL|NHL|home
About bloody time...

Patrick Kane of Chicago Blackhawks hopes to carry momentum from Europe - ESPN Chicago

Patrick Kane optimistic for start

CHICAGO -- Chicago Blackhawks winger Patrick Kane has noticed he plays his best hockey when he plays nearly non-stop, which is why he was optimistic Thursday after returning from Switzerland to join his teammates.
"I felt like I was just kind of waiting around and waiting for hockey to start," Kane said of his decision to play in Europe. "I realize that when I was playing my best hockey, I was playing a lot of hockey. I figure I might as well go over there and try to get a head start to the season. Maybe when the season started back up, maybe I had an advantage. That was the only reason to be honest with you."
Kane scored 13 goals and had 10 assists in 20 games for EHC Biel in the National League A. He's hoping to use the experience as momentum for his NHL season. He joined 20 Blackhawks teammates in an informal hour-plus practice at Johnny's IceHouse West on Thursday.

"I think it's going to be great for me," Kane said. "Before I came back, I played eight games in 10 days or something like that. At one point, it was five in five nights. It was really good for my conditioning and skating and everything.
"You're playing on bigger ice, so obviously the game is going to be a little bit different over here, but for all of us there will be a little adjustment period. I'm happy I did it. It was a good experience and hopefully it helps me this season."
Being overseas also may have helped him off the ice. When asked if he was glad to get away after the attention he received in the spring due to photos of him partying in Madison, Wis., Kane said he's moved on.
"It's in the past for me," Kane said. "I'm not worried about that. I'm a different person now, and I've changed a lot."
What Kane hopes doesn't change is his ability to have a hot start to the season. He had six points in the first five games last season, six points in the first six games in 2010 and seven points in the first five games in 2009.
"I've always prided myself on getting off to a quick start personally pretty much every season," Kane said. "Every year, I've had some success doing that. Just more of the same of trying to get off to a quick start and continue through the year."
Where Kane would like to see more success for himself and his teammates is on the power play. The Blackhawks ranked 26th in the league last season with a 15.2 power-play percentage. They scored 42 goals on 277 opportunities.
"It's a huge part of our offense, and obviously last year it wasn't very good," Kane said. "It's probably one of the reasons we didn't do as well throughout our season. It's something we'll have to fix a little bit.
"Just watching film from a couple of years ago, you can really see how much we moved, not only the puck but also our feet. All five of our players were always moving. That's one of the biggest things. As long as every player can stay dangerous, you're going to have success on the power play. That's the biggest thing for this year -- just keep moving, and we have enough talent where plays will be made."