Gary Bettman Sucks

The Coyotes are being run by the NHL!

Yes, that is the type of headline that would pull me out of retirement to blog.

Early this morning, I read a great blog post by Puck Daddy. The post was about the Phoenix Coytes possibly being controlled by the NHL, since February. I sent a tweet (follow me: theonlysandman) about that this post. It was then pulled from Yahoo! about one hour later. It would appear that someone is trying to stop this story.

This a HUGE DEAL since the Coytes have taken on a bunch of crappy salaries at the deadline. If the 'yotes where to go bankrupt after taking on these bad salaries... well, I think the courts would have something to say about that...

The biggest question I have is, why was this well written and informative blog post taken down?

Bettman Radio Is a Farce Like the Commissioner

Here we go again; the NHL and NHLPA are headed towards another labour problem. Marriage between union, NHL starts to sour.

Mr. Suck Please Retire

In case you didn't think another labour unrest is coming check out this article about the NHL Salary Cap rising by $6.4M. This converts into each team being able to spend up to $56.7M with a MINIMUM of $40.7 million. As a quick reminder, before the lock out the average team payroll was $44M and only 9 teams had a payroll larger than: $40.7 million!

Does anyone remember the players talking about a hard cap at $44M? I bet the NHL Owners are wishing they had that and a year of revenues back... so much money... so little brains!

Mr. Suck Please Retire

Here we go again; the NHL and NHLPA are headed towards another labour problem. Marriage between union, NHL starts to sour.

Mr. Suck Please Retire

Trade rumour time is coming to a close and one big defense man has just come off the market. Rob Blake is going to be staying in LA. He and management had talks and he wants to stay and help rebuild the team. Once you get paid 7 mil and have won a cup it makes sense to stay were you love!

Has anyone heard more about the Mr. Suck rumour that he is going to be fired? The lastest I have heard/read into is that all the GM want the instegator rule gone but Mr. Suck still thinks it will ruin hockey in the US. [Has he noticed the popularity of UFC. This could be the point where the GMs dump him, they got their salary cap, maybe it is time to start from scratch with a new Commish! That would be my vote! Quick props for my Cape Breton Real Estate agent Terri Brewer. She was fantastic in helping me find a place. Be sure to check out her Cape Breton Real Estate Listings

Last week I attended a game in New Jersey, my favorite team, when the played against Pittsburgh. I was shocked at how few fans were there to have a chance to see Crosby play! Crosby is the next huge star for the NHL and in Jersey no one seems to care. Two weeks ago in Toronto top seats were going for $850 a piece! Crazy stuff...but show the difference between many US cities and Canadian cities.

Has everyone heard about the possible "repeal" of the instigator rule? I am not surprised about this move especially since Crosby and Ovechkin have just started their careers and are the most exciting players today. Check out more about the story on instigator rule.

My hockey pool is sucking but I have good players. Does anyone else find the hot vs slow periods for players is getting worse? 5 points in 2 games... and 0 for the next 7 etc? We need a stats guy or gal to figure these streaks out.

I found a great company for first aid supplies, the company is F.A.S.T Rescue and they operate in Ontario.

Read my blog post on realtor.ca.

Vancouver now has a money goalie and less distraction in the dressing room. They could be a real force next year, unless Markus Naslund gets sooky because they traded his friend.

Edmonton wins! Edmonton wins!

Great game by Edmonton last night, can't wait to see them win the cup.

Edmonton vs San Jose best series of the year!

Great game by Edmonton last night. While that was going on I decided to launch a new page here...not talking about hockey but about EMU Oil
This is a site with lots of rumours houses for sale in Canada. Maybe you are looking for Properties in Kelowna, well checkout HomeZilla they have a great page about properties in Kelowna.

Who is the evil two-some at the Ottawa game?

Mr. Suck and the Consevative Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Well maybe I shouldn't say "evil" maybe I should say "boring and not so bright".

Honestly, can you imagine having dinner with those two? You would have Harper trying to tell you why he isn't boring and then Mr. Sucks trying to tell you why he is good for hockey. I don't know about you but that would be my hell!

What is the most exciting series in the NHL playoffs?

Edmonton Oilder vs San Jose Sharks... this series has a ton of youth and speed. Only one hour until the game, as a former Sharks season ticket holder I will really enjoy this game.

I will write more at intermission... enjoy the game!

1st intermission - bit sloppy eh? Not really as exciting as I had hoped.

2nd intermission - WOW! Have you noticed how hard the Sharks are hitting the Oilers. It isn't often you see a team, especially a speed team, hit that hard.

Go Sharks

Well, I hopefully I will be updating the page the new couple of days because so I will be heading out of town. I finally found a good toronto airport limo it was tought, the first company would forget to show up. Not sure if I will use there for other service but I am guessing they are a pretty good regular toronto limo

What does it take to bring me out of 'blog retirement'?

Has anyone seen the last two games for the Edmonton Oilers? It is unbeleivable that not one but two clear goals would be disallowed! The NHL had a year off to to sort out the problems. How come they couldn't get the instant replay right?

The two goals disallowed verses the Edmonton Oilers were clearly goals. Maybe Mr. Suck doesn't want Canadian teams in the playoffs? Maybe he wants a couple of token Canadian teams, but he doesn't want Captain Canada leading a team deep into the playoffs.

Mr Suck and his NHL cronnies better get the instant replay right before the playoffs. Like you, I don't want to see the Cup awarded based on a bad instant replay call. And don't even get me started on the "delay of game" penalty when the puck pops over the glass.

Mr. Suck....get it right...

Oh and check out my new site: Niagara Bed and Breakfast

The NHL is back! YAY

PS: but he still sucks!

Salary cap, salary cap, salary cap...oh how are you going to change the game that I love so much. Over the next week I want to talk about some possible situtations.

First, teams like the Edmonton Oilers are able to get players like Chris Pronger, everyone loves this fact - except the big market teams, yes this means you New York Rangers.

Second, big market teams are going to have to actually win to keep their players. In the past players went to big markets in hopes of winning a cup. Now players are going to go to the best organizations. Take a bow Edmonton, Vancouver Canucks, and Montreal Canadiens. Looks like the age of the Canadian teams is about to return.

Lastly today, think about teams going for the cup but being very close to the salary cap. Now imagine that teams needs a top notch goalie, yes I am talking about you Tampa Bay Lighting. Will they be able to make the big trade at the dealine without giving up part of the teams heart? There is no chance that trading Martin St. Louis for a goalie at the deadline is really going to help your team. Are Tampa's hands already tied?

The Ottawa Senators pull off the first big 'salary cap secret move'. They acquired Dany Heatly from the Atlanta Thrashers for Marion Hossa and Greg DeVries.

How was the move a big 'salary cap move'? When they signed Hossa it put them over the salary cap and lots of rumours started about who they were going to trade. Ottawa had a plan, they turned around and traded for a cheaper player just hours after signing the contract. Hossa had no idea that he was going to be used in a trade. What does this mean for the the NHL? Players are now going to be wondering what their contract really mean to their careers and where they might end up.

This is going to make salary negotiation very interesting....

Since I am still not a fan of Mr. Suck I am hoping that people might get a Gary Bettman Sucks tee-shirt, hat, button, etc and wear it to opening night. You can see the full line of items for sale at Cafe Press. Remember, Mr. Suck cost us one year of hockey...he still sucks.

With all the moves, trades, and signings two teams have really come to the forefront. The Calgary Flams and the Pittsburgh Penguins, both teams have gone out and made their team better.

The Calgary Flames have added Roman Hamrlik, Tony Amonte, Darren McCarty. Now that is a ton of talent, especially since they have keep all the players from their Stanley Cup run.

The Penguins have added John LeClair, Jocelyn Thibault, Ziggy Palffy , Sidney Crosby , Sergei Gonchar. Look at that list of players, can you see a ton of offense in the Igloo this year? Hockey poolies are going to be stocking up on Pens. With the biggest questions being, when do take the often injured Mario Lemieux.

Wouldn't it be something to see these two teams meet in the Stanley Cup finals?

And yes Gary Bettman still sucks!

Living in Toronto, I hear tons of stuff about the Maple Leafs and most of it is second guessing their GM. Well, today they gave fans another reason to wonder what the hell they are doing. The just signed another injury prone player, Eric Lindros.

Everyone knows 'the big E' wanted to play in TO, but after signing Jason Allison you would think they would stay away from the injury guys!

My guess 'the big E' will play about 50 games, and Jason Allison will play 60.

Anyone see Sidney Crosby on the Tonight Show last night? I missed it.

Does anyone have a video I could watch?

Well not watching hockey has allowed me to do many other things. One recent adventure was getting a private wine cellar in Toronto. The Fine Wine Reserve located in Toronto provides wine storage and cellaring. They have a top notch venue and should be checked out if you want your wine to be safe.

Or you could go and get a wine fridge. They come in many sizes and wine fridges can come in many different styles!

The free-agent season is in full swing, players are flying off the shelf faster than the latest Harry Potter book. The most interesting move of the day was definately the Edmonton Oilers signing Chris Pronger. Last year there was no chance of a team like the Oilers making a move for such a big name player. It is great for the NHL that all teams will be able to compete. BUT, Gary Bettman is still, Mr. Suck, because we shouldn't have had to lose an entire season to get to this state.

Do you think Canadian teams will start winning the cup every year now? :D

Well, Bob Goodenow has stepped down, now if Gary Bettman will do the same thing hockey will be in great shape going forward. Here is the entire story on Goodenow and his resignation

New rules:

• They took out the red line!
• They added a shootout!

Crosby Lottery! Crosby Lottery! Today is the big day where one NHL team will be granted the right the best player in 20 years! Watch TSN online to who gets Sidney Crosby. Click on theCatch the announcement live now on TSN.ca link.

Here is the official order of picks for this years draft.

1. Pittsburgh Penguins - they win Sidney
2. Anahiem Mighty Ducks
3. Caralina Hurricanes
4. Minesota Wild
5. Montreal Canadians
6. Columbus Blue Jackets
7. Chicago Blackhawks
8. Atlanta Thrashers
9. Ottawa Senators
10. Vancouver Canucks
11. Los Angles Kings
12. San Jose Sharks
13. Buffalo Sabers
14. Washington Capitals
15. New York Islanders
16. New York Rangers
17. Phoenix Coyotes
18. Nashville Predators
19. Detroit Red Wings
20. Philly Flyers
21. Toronto Maple Leafs
22. Boston Bruins
23. New Jersey Devils
24. St. Louis Blues
25. Edmonton Oilers
26. Calgary Flames
27. Colorado Avalance
28. Dallas Stars
29. Florida Panthers
30. Tampa Bay Lighting

Do you want to know what is going on today? Watch TSN online to see all the interviews and the announcement about the labour vote and Sidney Crosby. Click on the Catch the announcement live now on TSN.ca.

Here is a break down of each team and the players they have under contract. It is great to figure out what each team has to work with.

For more reaction on the current NHL check out our discussion boards.

Check out the cap for each team and the number of players signed! Do you think that Detroit, Philly, and Toronto are going to be buying out lots of players? Well at least a couple on each team!

Wayne Gretzky might have the best plan for the lockout by keeping the entire team together. Next season is going to be chaos for most teams but the Cyotes might jell and kick some ass! Can the Great One bring the cup to the desert?

Please help pay for my hosting by clicking on a couple of ads! Thanks!

Don Cherry and Ron MacLean have come out and said the owners have won. I completly agree but Gary Bettman is still Mr. Suck because the win cost the fans the entire season. This deal will probably be good for the league but at what cost. Mr Suck, you might have won but you didn't need to lose the season.

Looks like we will have an end to the lockout!

The end of the lock out is at the final stage! A tentative agreement has been set.

One exciting piece of news, every team is going to have a shot at Sidney Crosby!

More to come....

Please help pay for my hosting by clicking on a couple of ads! Thanks!

I love this headline: Jeremy Roenick rants about NHL lockout. How right was JR when he supported the notion of a salary cap back in February. For the record, that deal had a $42.5 million US salary cap. The latest offer on the table has the cap set at $34 or 36 million. Pretty big difference eh?

Check out the entire article to hear all his thoughts.

The NHLPA might have been spanked by Mr. Suck during this negotiations but he should have figured out a why to avoid the lockout. People are saying that Mr. Suck won, but until we see how many fans return to watch the NHL we won't know how much damage Mr. Suck has done to the NHL.

Please help pay for my hosting by clicking on a couple of ads! Thanks!

Still no deal, surprise! I might actually have enough time to pay for my hosting! YAY!

Here is a bit of Friday fun for everyone. This video is what would happen if Pulp Fiction met hockey. Too bad they didn't send the Pulp Fiction boys to talk with Mr. Suck before he cancelled the season.

Please help pay for my hosting by clicking on a couple of ads! Thanks!

Well, the NBA has reached a deal to avert a lockout! This shows two things, first the NBA was very smart in getting rid of Mr. Suck, otherwise he might be running their league and causing them to lose a season. Second, it is was possible for Mr. Suck to avoid the dumb situation the NHL is in now.

Having the NBA reach a deal before the NHL shows one thing, Gary Bettman sucks!

{sigh}

Well at least we are going to have hockey sometime next year.

Please help pay for my hosting by clicking on a couple of ads! Thanks!

Well, the GMs are talking about all the rules and a deal is getting close to being done. My question is, who wants the NHL to return with nets like these:

They do get 50 points for orginality!

Glen Sather once again proved that is just isn't that bright! Check out this article. He might have had lots of winner in Edmonton but I think it was just on pure talent! When talking about the new rules he said,"Could you imagine Wayne (Gretzky) and Mario (Lemieux) playing that kind of game?" Sather posed. "They'd have a field day." Is it just me or didn't Gretz and Mario have a field day with the current rules?

Please help pay for my hosting by clicking on a couple of ads! Thanks!

Well, the NHL and NHLPA are getting very close to a deal. Hopefully it doesn't fall apart at the last minute. The Toronto Star always has good articles on the lockout and this one is no exception.

I am not sure what I will do with this site after the NHL starts. Mr. Suck definately does enough dumb-ass things to warrant me keeping it going! :D

If you have enjoyed this site and would like to show some support by clicking on the ads that would be awesome!

Lets send Gary Bettman out to sea. Maybe I could get Tom Fidgen at Driftwood Boats to make something nice. He has many boats for sale, including lapstrake, double paddle canoe, dinghy and more. If you want to find wooden boats for sale - maybe a lapstrake check out his site. To read more about wooden boats for sale

Rumour has it the NHLPA is starting to be split down the middle. There are two camps, the pro-deal group led by Trevor Linden, the no-deal group led by Vinny Damphouse. If the pro-deal group has its way we should have a deal in one-two weeks!

Check out what Bob McKenzie has to say about it.

The London Kights won the Memorial Cup tonight in a game they dominated. It was good to see some great hockey being played this time of year.

Mr. Suck is still talking to the NHLPA about a deal, they are making some headway but still seem to be far away. It has been annoying that neither the NHL or NHLPA have said much about the talks.

*sigh*...We should have a pool on when they will annouce a deal! 2007?

My other concern is that when the NHL does return every game is going to be 'the left wing lock' versus 'the trap'. After watching some World Championship games, I have realized how boring the trap is compared to a run and gun game. The NHL really has to improve the quality of the game when it returns.

Speaking of the World Championships, Rick Nash has been a dominating player for Canada this year - at time of writing he has 9 goals!. How great is it to see Team Canada with a dominating 20 year old. Joe Thornton has also been playing a great game and we can't starting taking the big guy for granted! Go Team Canada!!!

Everything is status quo in the NHL, which is 'nothing happening'. Even Bobby Orr is speaking out against the NHL and NHLPA. More people of influence in the hockey world should come out and speak their minds.

Bobby Orr said that Mr. Suck and Goodenow should "get out of the way" if they can't get a deal done. I happen to agree that Mr. Suck should go! Other people think the same, check out the Fire Bettman website.

Today at the under-18 world championship, the US beat Canada 5-1. The US team was really moving and was at least two steps ahead of Team Canada. It was a great game until Justin Mercier of Team USA drove Colton Yellowhorn headfirst into the boards. Yellowhorn was taken off the ice on a strecher. At this time there wasn't been an update on his condition.

So the NHL and NHLPA are going back to the table with some 'new concepts'! Wow! It is about time they decided to come up with something new. Next Tuesday there will a bunch of new ideas so hopefully they can come up with something.

Unfortunately, my belief in the NHL/NHLPA to come up with any really good ideas is reaching zero precent. Is it just me or did anyone else notice that during all of the ideas tossed around to increase scoring that two big things weren't mentioned. First, taking out a row of seats and increasing the size of the rink. I am sure everyone can see why the owners never brought this up. Secondly, the effects on expansions on scoring in the NHL. We can all see why the players wouldn't bring this up.

Not taking out the row of seats is just short sighted greed on part of the owners. The expansion question is being avoided by the NHL and NHLPA. Why you ask? Cause goal scoring how gone down in the NHL every year since they started adding teams again in 1991. Check out this chart:

Year	Expansion	# of teams	Scoring AVG
1990-91	-	22	6.96
1991-92	1 team added	22	7.24
1992-93	2 teams added	24	6.39
1993-94	-	26	5.97
1994-95	-	26	6.29
1995-96	-	26	5.83
1996-97	-	26	5.26
1997-98	-	26	5.27
1998-99	1 team added	27	5.27

All stats taken from: http://www.hockey-fans.com/

It is plain to see as more teams were added the talent level dropped off and great players aren't as great when playing with crappy 'should be in the minors' type players.

While Mr. Suck will never admit it, expansion has ruined this game!

What is scary is that when this is all done Gary Bettman will probably still have his job and Bob Goodenow will probably be fired. After the damage both of these men have done to the NHL both should be fired!

The NHL brain trust is a joke! I watched a show the other night where many of the NHL folks were talking about new rules for increasing scoring. They had a lot of ideas but each one would easily be countered or had a bad down side. Here are two examples:

1. Icing changes - when a team ices the puck they would not be allowed to make a line change. The team that was iced against would be able to put fresh players on the ice. Can you imagine how many injuries would happen with tired players on the ice against fresh players? How would the Maple Leaf's GM feel watching Mats Sudin get stuck on the ice for 3 minutes or more while some forth line goon runs him into the boards.
2. Penalties - when a team gets a penatly instead of 5-4 it would automaticlly go to 4-3. If the team got a second penalty it would go to 5-3. Does this make sense to anyone? Now we just have fewer players getting ice time.

Seriously, are these some of the best idea's the NHL can come up with? Maybe we need outsides running the NHL. The current group in charge of the NHL let the product go to crap, allowed an entire season to be cancelled, and now can't even come up with a plan to improve the game. *sigh* the sad state of our great game.

Mr. Suck here is a little piece of advice, when trying to figure out a good rule to increase scoring just think about how team will take advantage of that rule. Once you know that than you can see what the real result of the rule will be.

Bigger nets! Oh my god...what are they going to start talking about next. In case you missed the article you can check it out here.

Why is there no scoring in the NHL? It is all Mr. Suck's fault. Some people might think I am just blaming everything on him but I think it is the truth.

The reason there is no scoring is that they don't have enough skilled players on each team. Each team has two players that can score and everyone else just makes sure those two guys don't score. If there wasn't 30 teams in the league than the skilled players would be able to play togehter.

Expansion isn't the only reason for lack of scoring, the huge gear that most of the goalie wear doesn't help. Again, Mr. Suck should have seen this - or at least had someone watching for problems - coming and stopped it before it became this bad.

More Skill = More Goals

I am back! After all the painful talks by both side in the NHL labour dispute I had to take a couple of weeks off. Today was a great day to start reading about what is new in the hockey world.

First, The Great One turned down Team Canada for the first time in his career but family is more important.

Secondly, I found a video of an AMAZING goal. Check out the set of hands on this guy.

Thirdly, what is wrong with goons who play or played for the Vancouver Canucks? Or maybe living in British Columbia drives people a little mad. Does everyone remember the Todd Bertuzzi incident last year? Well now Donald Brasher has pulled a bone head move.

Let hope the US has forgotten about hockey and doesn't air this brawl all over their networks. If they do it will just be another nail in the NHL coffin!

Now that talks are back on I wonder who is going to make the first offer. More importantly, is either side going to make a creative proposal? During the lockout we have learned that neither side is very creative and both side have made mistakes. If Mr. Suck comes out with some dumb ass proposal that isn't that basis of an agreement I will be very sad. My bet would be that he comes out with a proposals that just annoys the players. Sigh....anyone think there will be an NBA lockout after them seeing how bad the NHL has handled their lockout?

Breaking News

Wall Street firm, sports advisory company make joint bid to buy NHL. Read the entire story.

Rumour Time! The NHLPA has come out and said they have a united plan and are all getting along fine. This isn't true; Bob Goodenow's position is in jeopardy. The reason, at the start of negotiations the players told him they didn't want to lose part of the season and than agree to a salary cap. They told Goodenow that if there was going to be a cap than get a deal done before the start of the season.

As you will remember at the last minute Goodenow did add a salary cap, than still couldn't get a deal done and made Gretzky, Lemieux, and Linden look bad at the same time. That isn't a good career move.

Mr. Suck might not be that bright but he hasn't angered the owners like Goodenow angered the players! I never thought Goodenow would be fired before Mr. Suck, but mark my words he will be.

I am looking at buying a double paddle canoe and found this site which is pretty cool. They also do lapstrake boats which is pretty cool.

Haven't see or heard much about the NHL lockout but I did hear people talking about how they enjoyed the NLL's All-Star game. There was also a lot of talk about the amazing shot Jennifer Jones made to win the Scott Tournament of Hearts. If anyone saw the shot I am sure you will agree it was amazing.

Each day that passes without the NHL playing other sports have great events and stories that will slowly take fans from hockey. The NHL revenues were $2.1 billion last year, my guess is when it does return the revenues will be down to $1.5 billion. It starts to get scary to think what the league will look like when they do come back.

Yesterday I talked about the idea of the Stanley Cup being presented to the best women's hockey team. Well another story, from BC, has come out in support of this idea. Lets hope this idea gains some momentum. It would be great for hockey - not to be confused with the NHL - and would help end the lockout. Imagine how the NHL players would feel when they see how hard the women would play for the cup?

I really want to see the Stanley Cup presented this year, and this is a great idea!

Check out the story from BC.

Finally a good idea has come out of the lockout. Did everyone see Canada's Governor General Adrienne Clarkson comment about the Stanley Cup. She suggested the Cup be granted to the top woman's team. You can read the story here.

This hasn't received the press it should. My guess is that the "trustees" of the Cup are nervous; they know the public would actually support this idea. I would love to watch the women compete for the cup. It would probably be the only time they would have this chance and they would leave everything on the ice. That would be awesome hockey!

I definitely support the idea! How about you?

Sorry for not posting for a few days. I have been relaxing and trying not to think about the lockout. The more I think of it, the worse it gets. Especially after the NHL and NHLPA embarassed Gretzky and Lemieux...that was just sad. If you are a long-time hockey fan it will make your stomach turn.

I really hope they are going to get a deal done in time for the draft in Ottawa. I am very doubtful but still hope they can. If they don't have a draft than Sidney Crosby will probably sue and become a free agent! Imagine Crosby going to he highest bidder? Now that makes the salary cap really interesting.

What the hell is going on with the NHL? Who needs reality TV when you have drama like this going on. Check out the story about the NHL getting saved...it is suppose to happen today! Here is the story.

The NHL and NHLPA are meeting today in New York and are planning a press conference later today! Looks like the season is back.... :)

Okay so who is the pain in the butt that started the rumour about owners and players still trying to save the season. Both sides just paniced after they realized Mr. Suck had really cancelled the season. Maybe hockey players really aren't that bright; how could you not see that Mr. Suck wanted to cancel the season all along. Actually more to the point would be; "He just didn't care if there was a season or not!.

When Mr. Suck opens his mouth you can tell he doesn't care, he has no passion for the NHL or hockey. In fact I doubt he has any passion at all! Wish we could ask Ms. Suck she probably has some good stories!

Not much to say today... I am in mourning!

Thanks to everyone who went to my sponsors yesterday! I am pretty close to the hosting limit for this year!

RIP NHL!

Well he has done it...Mr Suck has killed an entire NHL season! Yes, I agree he wasn't the only person at fault but he is the most responsible. The only thing he had to do was pull out the "salary cap tied to revenues clause" one week earlier ...that is right just one week earlier. Once he did that the player okayed a salary cap...but Mr Suck did too little too late.

I hope you can hear me when I say:

Gary Bettman You Suck

Can you believe that Mr. Suck stole the chance for me to watch 'Hockey Night in Canada' with my little cousin! He certainly doesn't deserve to have the NHL taken away from him.

The players have rejected the owner's final offers and have made a counter proposal. They have lowered the salary cap to $49 million but that is still $6 million more than the owners offers.

Is it possible that this will be settled with a $45 million cap? Did we really need all these months of a lockout to get to this point?

Read the full story here.

Rant Part 1
The *final offer* has been made...but does anyone really believe it is the final offer. It will be interesting to see what happens but it looks like we are in the final 12 hours. Something concrete will be decided soon!

Mr Suck, I really hope that was the best offer you could have made. This isn't the time to try and get one last little bit!

You can read all about the final offer here.

Here are some possible Valentines Day cards from the NHL to NHLPA.

• I wanna cap you!
• Can't wait to do this again next year!
• Just cause your 'head' is bigger doesn't mean your smarter!
• I miss you...all 700!

Damn it! They did it again... extended the deadline. Okay so now it looks like Wednesday!
I would like to ask everyone to change their IM status to "Gary Bettman Sucks" whenever he makes the announcement that the season is canceled. Lets make the world know who fault this is...

If you are in Canada - or can watch TSN - you have seen the hockey announcers talk about the mistakes Mr. Suck has made. Everyone can see that this wasn't a negotiation! Look at my rants that is what I have been saying for months now.

Unfortunately, I realized it would have been better if Mr. Suck had of proved me wrong. {sigh}....

How did the NHL end up with a man like this leading them?

Mr Suck....you are slowly killing the NHL.

Please don't send me any emails saying: "Well the owner made three different proposals.... blah...blah...blah." If you actually listen to what Mr. Suck and his cronies are saying you can see it is a PR game.

This is a quote from Daly:

Here is the story from Canoe better describes Mr. Sucks PR move.

{sigh} getting too worked up....gotta go....

Mr Suck....you are killing the NHL.

Regular Rant The NHL season was suppose to end on April 10th so if the NHL does get a deal done on February 15th they need 2 weeks for training camp. That leaves about 40 days for the regular season. If we do see the NHL this year the playoffs are going to be longer than the regular season! Does that sound like a good idea to anyone?

Damn you Mr. Suck...why are you doing this to the NHL.

{sigh}...this is so sad..... How did this guy get to represent the NHL? I wouldn't want him negotiating the price of my car!!!

{sigh}...this is so sad.....

If you are a LaCrosse fan check out the new news stories. They are sad for hockey fans but good for LaCrosse fans.!
San Luis Obispo Dentist

Wanna see more of Drapes and Kid Rock check out all the photos here.

Actually I am getting worried there will be a 24 game season and it will make a joke of the NHL. Not handing out the Stanley Cup is worse... I think....

{sigh} This looks so bad for our league....

Could this really be the last day? Could the season really be gone after Mr. Suck and his partner in crime lose an entire season? I am closely watching the news waiting for the meeting to end.

There is still hope...maybe Mr. Suck will surprise us all

For your folks in Ontario at least you can bring your own wine to restaurants to drown your sorrows. It isn't a coincidence the Ontario government passed this bill during the lockout!

At his point they would only have a 24 game season. Does anyone think that is a valid season? It would probably give Toronto a great chance at winning the cup because their players wouldn't have time to get injured. More and more sites are popping up over the lockout. Hopefully the NHL and NHLPA will notice that people are getting bored with the lockout. Even the hockey announcers on TSN are complaining about how it is dragging out.

That being said once Mr Suck re-enters the negotation I am sure the season will be cancelled quite quickly. Even though he was requested to come back to the table we all know the man can't get a deal done. Some people have the god given ability to do a deal. (See Danny Williams [Real Audio clip] in Newfoundland.)

Mr. Suck, when you get back to the table try not to ruin it for everyone!

Mr. Suck is going to be the first leader of a sports league to lose an entire season. That guy just has to go...does anyone really think they can have a season at this point? Maybe they could have the playoffs in the same format as March Madness. We could have a month tournament for the Stanley Cup!

My only question now is how long will the NHL be shut down...I doubt we will see the NHL next Sept...but I am getting ahead of myself... lets see if we can't get a super exciting 24 game schedule! LOL

Gary Bettman You Suck!

Gary "Mr. Suck" Bettman is going to cost the NHL an entire season and ruin hockey for a long time to come. Everyone knows how long it took baseball to recover from their strike.

Can I ask a favour from everyone? On the day that Mr. Suck announces the season is cancelled will you put: "Gary Bettman You Suck" in your IM stats? Or an email? Or a blog? We have to get this guy fired. Tell your friends, family, pass on the word! This guy is terrible!

Even if you side with the players you must admit Bettman has to go!!!

Has anyone seen Gary Bettman do an interview lately? Maybe they have him locked away so he can't do any more damage! Isn't that a nice idea.

Since the lockout has been so hard on everyone here is a light-hearted article.

Lets hope the NHL season isn't lost but if it is we know it is mostly (yes, I do listen to people who side with the NHLPA) Gary 'Mr. Suck' Bettman's fault.

Mr Suck...you are killing hockey!

What really makes me believe the NHL was never negotiating in good faith. They were asked what they would do with teams over the salary cap (even after the players took a 24% pay cut) guess what...... they didn't have an answer!

This proves Mr. Suck is stupid...he didn't even have a plan how to deal with the league if he won in the "negotiation"!

Down with Mr. Suck!

Actually, I suggest from now on...when post a message to the message board only use "Mr. Suck" as his name.

If Gary "Mr.Suck" Bettman was in the meetings they wouldn't have made it this far! Hopefully they get rid of him after the season is re-started.

Lets here it for Trevor Linden
Hip Hip Horray
Hip Hip Horray
Hip Hip Horray

Finally we are making some progress towards saving the season and where was Mr. Suck...not involved. This isn't surprising! Everyone is realizing that he can't get anything done. If the NHL season is saved this year it is inspite of Gary Bettman not because of him. What kind of commissionaire is it that gets left out of what are suppose to be his negotiations.

Mr. Suck you should start taking leadership lessons from Trevor Linden!

Hey Hey Ho Ho Gary Bettman has got to go....
Hey Hey Ho Ho Gary Bettman has got to go....
Hey Hey Ho Ho Gary Bettman has got to go....

Post your comments about Trevor Linden in our discussion group.

Let me recap some key points that show Mr. Suck just isn't that bright:

1. Voted one of the worst managers in the US, and not one person in the NHL tried to defend him.
2. Got the 'Canes owner to say 'the season is done' in hopes of scaring the union. Then showed this was a ploy by not fining him!
3. Let the negotiations get to this point in the first place.
4. Let a team with a great fan base (Winnipeg Jets) move to the US where they became a team with $60 million in debt.
5. (your comment here)

Mr. Suck says there was to be a salary cap. Well I wonder what he would say if the players offers a luxury tax that cost teams $2 for every $1 they spend of $22M? He would jump at it. See Mr. Suck there are other options!

-beating a dead horse-
Mr. Suck is playing hard ball because he is too dumb to come up with an orginal solution that will save the season.
-end beating a dead horse-

Why can't he realize people will think more of him if he saves the season and gets a good deal than if he 'busts' the union.

Down with Gary! Down with Gary! Down with Gary!

For the love of the game Mr. Suck end the lockout. Come up with a solution that is good for the game, not your ego! Oh... and when I say the game I mean the NHL not the NBA; the game you love.

The Stanley Cup has always been presented, will Mr. Suck be the first one to crush that tradition?

The NHL has really lost it mind if it expects the fans to beleive it is the players fault they get paid too much money! And before you email me saying how wrong I am answer one question: How many times have your asked you boss for a pay cut? If your boss kept giving you \raises would you complain?

Come on Mr. Suck the fans aren't that stupid. At least take some of the blame.

Is it just me or is this just really sad?

For all of you out there that back the owners think about this...
Mr Suck hasn't made a proposal to try and save the season in months and it doesn't look like he will anytime soon. He doesn't care if he saves the season. Maybe it is because "One of the US's worst Managers" (see Jan 6th) is too busy watching basketball!

Mr. Suck just keeps saying 'salary cap','salary cap','salary cap'...he never comes up with anything creative...well finally someone else has an alternative plan. But I doubt that Mr. Suck will try and use any part of it!

Mr. Suck please try and be creative and save the season!

On person (Jason) said: "the Jets will come back as the southern NHL teams won't survive the lockout." And he showed me this link: www.jetsowner.com. It is a site about tyring to find an owner to bring the Jets back to Winnipeg.

How could Mr. Suck let a francise with such die-hard fans leave? Why does he put teams in cities where people just don't care (ie: Carolina)? Cause that man just ain't that bright!

Can anyone tell me one orginal idea Bettman has had? Besides the glowing puck!

1. Do you blame Mr. Suck for letting the Jets leave?
2. Do you think Mr. Suck is changing the NHL so the Jet could get a team back?
3. Do you think Mr. Suck would want Winnipeg to have a team in the future?

I have been watching the World Junior championships and noticed a lot of Winnipeg Jets jerseys in the stands. If you remember Mr. Suck was the commish that let the Jets leave! Winnipeggers came out in full force to support their team and tried to keep the team in Winnipeg. But Mr. Suck let the owners move the team. Not to stop from losing money but so they could make more money. Now we have hockey in cities where most people just don't care: Nashville, Carolina, Atlanta, etc.

Does that sound like a man who cares about the game or just making money?

If you were a Winnipeg Jets fans back then drop me a line and tell me what you think about Mr. Suck letting the Jets leave!

Gary, thanks for all your work with the NHL. You did get us olympic hockey twice and both times it was really exciting! Hopefully the holidays gave you a chance to figure out how to save the 2004-2005 hockey season.

Merry Christmas Mr. Bettman!

That is right this year Gary Bettman is the Grinch! Instead of stealing presents from people he is stole the hockey season!

Bad Gary Bad

Come on Mr. Suck resign and get someone in there to get a deal done. You can't do it so give everyone an early Chirstmas present and resign!

What does everyone think? Wouldn't that be a great present? :D

Merry Christmas everyone, and enjoy the World Jr Championships, thanks to Mr Suck it is the only hockey this xmas!

Okay, in the last week I have received a lot of feedback from people supporting Mr. Suck. I still don't get this...so here are some very basic reasons that Mr. Suck isn't the man to save the NHL season.

1. He didn't get a good deal 10 years ago, why should we expect one now?
2. The man doesn't have a creative bone in his body! He could never come up with a unique deal that would make both sides happy.
3. He isn't passionate about the game. Just listen to him talk, do you really think he cares about the game?
4. Most importantly, he just wants to crush the players union and is more focused on this than anything else...save the season Mr. Suck!

On a happier Christmas note, I can't wait to watch the World Junior Hockey Championships...go Canada go!

So Mr. Suck and Bob G. can't make a decision on a NHL season. So if we lose the season than the Stanley Cup won't be presented right? Wrong! There is a website that supports the orginal intention of the cup donated by Lord Stanley! Which was:
The Stanley Cup should then be awarded to the best hockey team in Canada.

Check out their site at: Free Stanley

Maybe we can make sure that 2004 is the last time Mr. Suck gets to present the greatest trophy in sport, the Stanley Cup!

How you ask? Well he suggested that players making under $800K take no pay cut but other players take a 35% cut. Divide and conquer, great way to negotiate but this is a monopoly can't both side figure out something that works?

Santa, for Christmas I would like Mr. Suck to get some creativity and figure out a way to make a deal. Right now it seems like he read negotiating 101... well at least read parts of it.

Gary Bettman...you suck!!!

I can't beleive this hockey outsider is going to cost us a season. :(

What you just read was my dream, do I think it will happen?... NO! I am quite sure Mr. Suck is going to come back with something stupid, hopefully not dumb enough to end the talks.

After all the stuff I have said about Bettman...I hope he comes through today!

So Mr. Suck what is your response going to be? It better be good!

Can't wait to watch the London Knights play tonight.... :)

MLS (Major League Soccer) is going after the #4 sports in the US while the NHLPA is locked out. Long term that might be good for our game but I still love it and wished more Americans got it...but oh well.

Mr. Suck...if you don't like the offer you better counter-offer. Remember you don't just represent the owners you represent the fans as well!

What then? I will tell you what...join in the "Gary Bettman Sucks" rant!

Mr. Suck...please do what is good for the game and not your ego!

I really want to see NHL hockey this year...Mr. Bettman don't screw it up!

Please!

Read the article and better understand the evil in Gary Bettman.

Since it is Friday a little music would be good, check out another great
lockout song this one is by Chris at Diamond In The Rough Songwriting

Mr. Bettman I know you probably never watch Canadian TV or read a
Canadian website but if you did you would notice the increase the number
of commercials and ads from NFL Canada. They know it is their chance
to steal money from the NHL.

If we lose the entire season hockey will never be the same.

Mr. Bettman doesn't really care; he isn't a fan of the game!

Come on Gary...start talking and try to end the lockout!

hey hey ho ho Gary Bettman has got to go...
hey hey ho ho Gary Bettman has got to go...
hey hey ho ho Gary Bettman has got to go...

You can download the MP3 Hockey Strike Blues

Hoepfully it puts a smile on your face like it did mine...

Come on Gary...start talking and try to end the lockout!

And beside you can read here why he doesn't want the job.

Bettman probably couldn't even understand Gretzky, imagine a student of the game like Gretzky talking to the Bettman, the destructor of hockey

Imagine....

This year you go watch minor league hockey for $15 a game with
$3 beers because Gary Bettmen took the NHL away. Okay that
sucks but you still get to watch hockey and now you save money!

Then he brings in "scab" players to play in the NHL and charges
you $40 (at the low end) and $8 a beer To watch the EXACT
same players. At this point Bettman is screwing the fans yet again.

I can't stop the lockout...but Mr Bettman..I will never support *scab* players!
Does he really think the fans are that stupid?