Sergei Kostitsyn’s True Feelings about the NHL

October 22, 2012October 22, 2012Leave a comment

Welp, he’s done it again.
Is it because fellow European players are speaking out, or is it because he doesn’t realize his comments to a Russian-based media outlet will still make its way to America and the NHL?

Unfortunately for Sergei Kostitsyn, the young Predators forward isn’t a huge bread-winner like Alexander Ovechkin and Ilya Bryzgalov and well, his outbursts only make him look like a jerk.

Here’s a little excerpt from Sergei’s interview with Russian Daily Sport-Express and his thoughts on the current lockout:

“Let’s put it this way – it would be better (for the players) if the lockout continues. Players want a definite answer. If the NHL season is lost – let it be that way. I would then play in Russia for the whole season.”

He is also on record saying how much he disliked living in North America and that he just couldnt understand the American way of life during his time in the NHL.

Dang, dude! Are we unaware of SK74’s god-like idolization in Belarus? Well, he has been doing pretty well while with the KHL, but for such a quiet, barely audible Predator, he sure his confident across the pond in the Motherland.

Does he still have his undies in a wad due to his brother getting dismissed from the NHL altogether or does he honestly feel this way? As we know, not all can be translated correctly and believed by the Russian media, but with his rocky history with defiance, it’s sort of believable. What happens when the lockout ends? Sergei still has to honor his 2-year contract with the Predators, yea? How awkward will that be…

Bryzgalov and Ovechkin have always been outspoken, but Sergei sounds like the nerd trying desperately to fit in the the jocks and just spitting out whatever word vomit the other two say.

Again, when the lockout finally does come to an end, how will Sergei (and the other outspoken Europeans) respond to returning to North America and the NHL?

NHL & NHLPA: Out of Touch with Reality

October 19, 2012Leave a comment

After yesterday’s massive letdown, we couldn’t help but feel, not only bitter and defeated, but utterly dumbfounded by how out of touch with reality both the NHL and players truly are.

We will never fully understand what both sides are dealing with or what’s going on inside their heads, but from the outside looking in (the fans’ point-of-view), it’s nothing more than a bunch of indecisive businessmen who are controlled by the greed of money.

What happened to the love of the game? The reason they are in the positions they are now?

Downhearted from greed; that’s just one of the mixed emotions NHL fans are experiencing along this rocky, blind route we’d like to call the lockout.

Although it would be nearly impossible to have a fan presence during the meetings other than standing outside with picket signs, it would still be ideal that we have a voice in the situation. We are the ones who give you that money to fight over, right?

By our accusation of the league and players being “out of touch with reality”, we just can’t begin to fathom the idea of being that well off monetary wise and still have the nerve to fight over more.

What is that you need so badly that you are willing to put people (who don’t make nearly half of what you do) out of work while you negotiate splitting their hard-earned money? What can you not afford now that you want? I highly doubt it’s something you need because nothing materialistic is needed with the kind of money you are arguing about.

Maybe it is because we cannot justify blowing our money on five matching Land Rovers and a Lamborghini that matches our favorite shirt or maybe because we’ve never experienced such luxury. What we can tell you, and this goes for all professional sports entities, is that we hope we never get to the point in our lives/career where we forget about the people who got us to where we are.

This can’t be said for all professional athletes or owners, for most athletes have their own charities and are well-versed in the community. However, as a whole, the NHL and NHLPA have made themselves out to look like a bunch a money hungry jerks with nothing better to do.

So this post is more of a rant than factual based, but wether they truly care or not, both sides are not making friends with fans who don’t understand the ability to fight over revenue when they have enough money already to support themselves and about twenty of their closest friends and family. When you struggle to support yourself and family on one or more jobs, it’s pretty darn difficult to see eye-to-eye with both the players and owners.

This is how the NHL will lose more than just a few games. They are enviably going to lose strong and weak fan bases due to their lack of true connection with the fans that provide then with the revenue that they are currently fighting over.

The NHL is not the NFL or NBA. They do not have the fan base, the time and experience like these two organizations do and they never will if they continue to alienate the people who fund them.

It’s time to take off the rose colored glasses and end this before the fans do.

NHL Shoots Down PA’s Proposals

October 18, 2012October 18, 2012Leave a comment

Well boys and girls, the optimism for a full season is dwindling fast. The NHL and NHLPA met today to discuss possible CBA negotiations, with the PA giving three counter offers of their own.

Unfortunately, what seemed like a positive step turned into a “backward step” per Gary Bettman as the he and the NHL shoot down all three of the NHLPA’s offers.

Back to zero.

What were the PA’s offers? Here they are in a nutshell:
– Proposal #1: A fixed players share for the next three years and, depending on growth, the amount will be decided.
– Proposal #2: The owners take 50% with 5% growth.
– Proposal #3: The players go 50/50 as long as the owners honor all the current contracts signed by the players.

Lots of room for discussion, right? Well, Bettman said both sides were “speaking different languages” when all was said and done. Personally, we believe Proposal #3 is the best of the choices, but obviously the owners do not feel the same way.

Information is still making its way to social media, so we’ll update with all the latest information.

Let the Negotiations Begin: NHL deals Proposal to NHLPA

October 16, 2012Leave a comment

After more than 100 days after the NHL/NHLPA CBA talks began, the two sides have finally decided it’s time to negotiate.

The National Hockey League, under the guidance of commissioner Gary Bettman, has proposed a 50/50 split amongst hockey related revenue (HRR) with the NHLPA. With this proposal, Bettman is attempting to save the 82-game schedule, with it expected to start on November 2nd, if the NHLPA agrees.

With fans sighing with relief that at least one side has made a move, all is not quiet on the home front. The current split is at 57% in favor of the players, which (without doing the math) tells you with this new proposal, the players will lose money, wether all at once or long-term.

So what could possibly hold the players’ association back from accepting this slice of pie, besides the 7% decrease in possible income? Well, there’s more to this proposal than a 50/50 split of HHR. Here is some of the fine print:

Five-year limit on long-term contracts. As of right now, there aren’t any limits.
Salary arbitration stays the same.
Unrestricted Free Agency would begin at the age of 28 and/or eight years of a NHL term.

Entry-level contracts would be extended from three years to four.

So, what does Don Fehr and the players have to say? Not too much; at least, not for now. As much as we would have enjoyed the NHLPA to announce they’re acceptance to the proposal today, that was definitely a long shot in the dark. The NHLPA did announce that they will respond to the NHL’s proposal within 48 hours, so sometime on Wednesday or Thursday (hopefully). Fehr also mentioned that, if the new proposal is agreed upon, the deal would last at least six years.

Again, after 100 days, we have lift off to a possible end in the lockout.

– Photo courtesy of: Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

Sergei Kostitsyn joins Avangard Omsk

October 7, 2012Leave a comment

After much debate as to where he would sign, Sergei Kostitsyn as chosen to join up with Avangard Omsk of the KHL. SK74 has been vocal about signing with the KHL, but he seemed to take his time selecting which team he’d settle with. As we mentioned in a previous post, the Predators forward has been pretty open about sticking with the KHL, even if the lockout comes to an end before the NHL season can be completely wiped.

Of course, contract-wise, SK74 cannot technically do that, but with big names like Ovechkin and Semin claiming to do the same, it’s no surprise the younger Kostitsyn would jump on board with the bandwagon. Plus, with a league that jumps to a lockout with a drop of the hat, we’d probably do the same.

As you remember, older brother Andrei Kostitsyn signed with Traktor Chelyabinsk in September after being dismissed from the Nashville Predators due to a late night stint during the 2012 playoffs with Russian rebel, Alexander Radoluv. Though most would think SK74 would join up with AK46 again, he chose to go at it alone, with Chelyabinsk a good 12 hours West of Omsk.

Sergei is now the fifth Nashville Predator to ship off to Europe, with Pekka Rinne teaming up with Dinamo Minsk, Roman Josi joining his former team SC Bern, Patric Hörnqvist signing with HC Red Ice, and Craig Smith joining Finland’s SM-Liiga.

NHL cancels all Games Scheduled until the 24th

October 4, 2012October 4, 2012Leave a comment

Surprise, surprise… The NHL has announced the cancellation of all regular season games up until October 24th, with more to follow suite in two-week increments.

For the Predators, this means seven games, including ones against St. Louis, Detroit, Colorado, Los Angeles, Anaheim, Pittsburgh, and Vancouver (four of those seven are home games against Colorado, Vancouver, Pittsburgh, and St. Louis).

Both sides (NHL and NHLPA) aren’t budging over the $3 billion in revenue differences, leading most everyone to brace for a long and painful lockout.

Although it may or may not add up to much, contacting the NHL and NHLPA is a minor step that could measure up to a huge difference for the fan “voice” during this lockout. If you do decide to voice your opinion to either side, don’t fire off steam. Yelling and cussing will fall on deaf ears, but reasonable, passionate fans will be heard. Give it a shot.

NHL League Offices:
1185 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10036
Phone – (212) 789-2000
Fax – (212) 789-2020

National Hockey League Players’ Association:
20 Bay Street, Suite 1700
Toronto, ON

Image credit: Bruce Bennett – Getty Images

Craig Smith joins SM-Liiga

October 3, 2012October 3, 2012Leave a comment

With no end in sight for the lockout, more and more players are making the jump to Europe, and now you can add Craig Smith to the list.

The Predators’ rookie phenom announced that he will be joining Finland’s SM-Liiga while the NHL and NHLPA continue to duke it out.

Smith is the fourth Predator to head overseas, including Roman Josi, Pekka Rinne, and Patric Hörnqvist.

ESPN3 Picks up KHL, Hörnqvist Signs with HC Red Ice, & SK74 starts Rumors

October 2, 2012October 2, 2012Leave a comment

Although ESPN is notorious for ignoring all things hockey related (including acknowledging this current lockout), they turned some heads today by coming to an agreement with the Russian-based hockey league to air games on the sports giant’s online channel, ESPN3.

While it isn’t much, at least ESPN is taking the the initiative to draw NHL fans to their site, giving fans at least some chance of seeing their beloved players take to the ice – even if it’s half way around the world. And, believe it or not, this isn’t the first time KHL games have been aired on ESPN3. For the past two seasons, ESPN3 has aired a few games on their station, though thanks to the lockout, it has gained more attention now.

The first game to be shown on ESPN3 will be between Dynamo Moscow and AK Bars on Wednesday, with four more games to follow up until the 9th of this month. More games are set to be scheduled as the lockout continues.

Though almost the entire team is eligible to play in Europe, only a few have fully committed to a team during the lockout including:

– Pekka Rinne – Dinamo Minsk
– Roman Josi – SC Bern
– Patric Hörnqvist was set to return to his former team Djurgarden, but due to high taxes and insurance, Hörnqvist is seeking another route. Where to now? HC Red Ice, yet another Swiss league team.

Rumors are still swarming around as to what Martin Erat is up to, along with rumors that Sergei Kostitsyn wants to stay with the KHL, even after the lockout is settled. However, we have yet to come across anything that has stated he has even signed with a team. Maybe we missed it in the Russian-to-English translation.

Also, be prepared for the NHL to start announcing the cancelation of regular season games some time this week. Good news, however, if the NHL and NHLPA can come to an agreement before November, all 82 games will still be scheduled. Let’s hope for that.

Lady Preds

Great • Southern • Hockey

Month: October 2012