In Eklund we trust..... Hockey Rumors Thursday, January 27, 2005 The end is here. I am jumping on a flight, but I just got word about the new proposal coming from the NHL. How serious is it? My source says, "This will absolutely be over by Saturday. Posturing is over. These talks are the final talks. We will know where we are in the next few days. I am convinced this new proposal is a result of what both sides have been working on. There is immense pressure coming from the big teams. The players are going to have a hard time turning down this offer. Word is they already know what it basically is and are holding a vote on their website as we speak. I would be stunned if the season was cancelled. It won't go past the week-end. Not a chance" So keep the faith hockey fans! Don't believe the gloom and doom coming from the frustration of the media who are being forced to listen to gloom and doom day and night. It is absolutely still moving forward, and until they tell us otherwise we should believe that logically they need to resolve this and get on with it.
Eklund's website has had updates every couple days saying "it's almost over". Don't beleive him. Apparently the NHL proposed something today and the players union turned it down tonite. Season should be cancelled next couple days.
I think the thing to remember about Eklund is that his site is purely rumors. I've been checking it daily for about the last month or so, and he seems to be right about what happens during the meetings, so his optimism has turned into optimism for me. I also think that site is going to be shut down as soon as the NHL figures out who he is. He has become quite the underground hero among hockey fans. That said, I have a hunch that SOMETHING is going to happen this weekend: either they will sign a deal in principle and start training camp or they are going to cancel the rest of the season. In my own estimation, the beginning of February is the point of no return for salvaging this season. In fact, the notion that it is nearly February and they still haven't canceled the season is about my only shred of hope in this sorry mess.
Haha apparently I am not the only Vancouverite on this board... cheers! I'd say shelf the season, cuz there is no point of going into the playoffs after only a handful number of games remaining...
i wonder if there are there more than just the 3 of us? heck...i never even knew the 2 of you were vancouverites. i only know fadeaway is canadian and...uh, another guy from calgary or somethin. forget his name though. EDIT...just remembered his name. Grizzled.
Actually I'm not Canadian...check my profile! I just grew up a Canucks fan. Plus Vancouver is a kick-ass city.
Molotov - I've also been checking his site since around X-mas and he gives the same line every week: The players union is about to splinter, the NHL is giving a new proposal in a couple days, and the union will accept it. Usually he gives so much info he hits on something (blind squirrel finding a nut). IMO - He works for the NHL (not a writer) and he puts the info there on purpose, to make the NHLPA feel like they have no chance.
No chance it comes back this year. The NHL is the first league to suffer from the voodoo economics that professional sports has become. The NBA, NFL and MLB will soon follow.
<mock_foreign_european_accent>Excuz, but, uh... vat iz diz, N-H-L tink dat ju ree fer to?... </mock_foreign_european_accent>
I hope it fizzles. I don't miss the NHL one bit. In fact, I'm glad it's gone - all the sports shows give more attention to the NBA right now because of it. -- droxford
I hope it comes back for the playoffs alone. Hopefully they'll get this messed resolved and maybe we could finally land an NHL team.
Hockey's alot of fun to watch in person but on TV... bleh. They get terrible ratings for a reason. The sport's just not viable at the dollars the players make.
Agreed. I've never been to an NHL game, but I've really enjoyed Aeros games. Can't stand to watch hockey on TV, though, and I really have injoyed the extra attention the NBA has been getting from sports media. -- droxford
I honestly think that the extra coverage given to the NBA is due more to the elevation of play this season rather than there not being any NHL to cover. However, it's not like the lack of NHL has made Sportscenter all NBA. They still don't show box scores or anything else like they used to. Plus, that's a pretty selfish reason to root for the demise of a sport that millions of people love.
AMEN!!! But they run a serious risk, here. This is not a big league sport...it's nowhere near baseball, basketball or football in terms of popularity or revenue. The longer this thing goes, the more irrelevant it becomes. I love the NHL playoffs, though!
