I was all set to record last night, but Doug had to back out.  I refuse to accept his pitiful excuse that he has a busy life, a demanding job, and a loving family.

We’ll be back next week.

Good discussion in the comments section of the previous post about the CBA negotiations, be sure to check that out.

The players have responded with three separate proposals, all which move to an even 50-50 split.  The owners have rejected the offers.  Now, it certainly appears as if games will be missed, and possibly the season.

There’s no doubt the owners gained the upper hand in the PR war by offering the 50/50 split first.  We will see if the players win back some goodwill by proposing their own.  It looks as if the big difference right now is the NHLPA wants the current contracts to be honored in full, some of which were signed only days before the lockout, without impacting the 50/50 split.  The owners offered to honor those contracts, but they will count against the future players’ share, which led the players to say it was “the players paying the players”.  I can see this both ways.  Under the owners’ proposal, on one hand, the owners will be paying those players their actual salaries in the future.  On the other, the owners will suffer no financial repercussions for signing deals that are incredibly rich (Parise) and oftentimes foolhardy (Ehrhoff).

As disappointed as I am, I’m still on the players side.  Perhaps there are important terms that have not been made public, but the latest proposals seem to decrease the player’s future income and contract negotiating positions from the previous CBA in every case.  The players’ proposed deal weakens them across the board; they get no stronger position in any area. If games are lost or the season is canceled, it’s difficult for me to believe how people can blame the players for that (“You didn’t capitulate enough!”).

The owners presented a deal that at first glance does not appear to be bat guano, and the Dudes are a little encouraged.  They talk about what is currently known about the deal, how it might affect the Sharks were it to be ratified by the union, and the Bulls game the DOH group went to last weekend.

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The Dudes’ trip to the Bulls game is coming up, and Doug does a full team preview.

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I’m glad to report that almost everyone that initially wanted tickets came through, and we have a impressive group- 38!  To those that are coming, I’m excited to meet all of you, and happy that you wanted to come out.  To those that missed out or found out too late don’t worry – tickets are still available.  Buy your own, and let’s meet up at the period break.

It may not be NHL hockey, but it’s still hockey.