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Latest News & Rumours
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from TSN Video,
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No one expected the Molson Canadian World Hockey Summit to pass through Toronto without hearing a lot from Maple Leafs president and general manager Brian Burke. True to form, he was front and center when the globe's most influential hockey people gathered from Aug. 23 to 26, especially when the focus of the conference zeroed in on whether the NHL would participate in the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia. Burke was already on record as saying the league had to get a lot more out money and publicity out of the experience than the previous two times the games were held out of North America, in 1998 and 2006. "We had a perfect storm in Vancouver with the right teams and good TV numbers," Burke said, "But we didn't get a thing out of Torino and Nagano. |
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![]() You must be this tall to get your contract approved. We thought we'd have an answer by now, as the league was set to render its verdict on Kovalchuk's latest deal on Wednesday. But instead, amidst reports that the league was now playing hardball and demanding changes to the collective bargaining agreement, we got a two-day extension. Now we're told to expect a decision some time today. Or, maybe not. If there are any hockey fans left who are still interested in this ongoing travesty, they can take some comfort in the knowledge that the league and the players are at least working hard on a solution. In fact, sources tell me that most of this week was taken up by frantic negotiations between the league, the Devils and the NHLPA. Based on what I've been told, I've put together a timeline of this week's events. Monday, 9:00 a.m. - Gary Bettman arrives early and begins reviewing the Devils' newest contract proposal, but admits to finding it difficult to concentrate with Donald Fehr sitting ominously in the back of his office cracking his knuckles. Monday, 1:15 p.m. - Lou Lamoriello explains to a frustrated Bettman that while he understands his concerns, he still insists on submitting the contract in Comic Sans font. Monday, 4:45 p.m. - Bettman and deputy commissioner Bill Daly attempt to consult with the league's Executive Vice President In Charge of Not Having One of Your Best Players Go To Russia Just so You Can Prove Some Sort of Point, before remembering that he's been on vacation all summer. Tuesday, 1:15 p.m. – A smiling Bettman shows Daly a series of encouraging notes reading “Keep your head up, Gary” that some kind stranger has been leaving on his windshield throughout the negotiations, although his mood changes when Daly points out that it they seem to be in Scott Stevens' handwriting. Tuesday, 4:30 p.m. - Both sides begin to work in earnest to avoid a second round of arbitration. Nobody wants to risk a repeat of Brian Burke's twelve straight hours of testimony from the last time, especially since the only question anyone got to ask him was “How are you?” Wednesday, 10:45 a.m. - A potential breakthrough: Kovalchuk agrees to the league's demands that he confirm his intentions to play into his 40s by crossing his heart and hoping to die, but only if the league rescinds its controversial request that he also stick a needle in his eye. Wednesday 1:30 p.m. - The league agrees to allow the contract to include a limited no-trade clause that kicks in towards the end of the deal and prevents the Devils from trading Kovalchuk to a southern US team, a concession they feel comfortable making given that none of those teams will still exist in ten years. Wednesday, 2:45 p.m. - Bettman begins to consider threatening the NHLPA with the voiding of Roberto Luongo's 12-year, $64 million contract that was signed last summer. The idea was originally suggested to him by an anonymous stranger on the subway who bore an uncanny resemblance to Mike Gillis wearing a wig and fake moustache. Thursday, 10:30 a.m. - With no agreement in place, a second arbitration hearing looms. The two sides begin the process of finding a new arbitrator to replace Richard Bloch, who is still recovering after his recent mysterious accident that left him battered, unconscious, and surrounded by shards of broken glass and grape jam. Thursday, 11:30 p.m. - NHLPA negotiators attempt to ease league concerns over the length of Kovalchuk's contract by pointing out that while a 15 years may seem like a lot, you have to keep in mind that the way things are going at least three or four of those seasons will be cancelled by work stoppages. |
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A man who reminds us of our destiny unfulfilled. A clear path to follow. The tribe awakens. A Nation hungers and thirsts to reclaim its glory, to resume the quest. There's a connection... Continuity... They can feel it... A link to the past... And so begins a new era... Born April 10, 1985, Dion Phaneuf was just 25 years of age on June 14th, 2010, when he became the 17th Captain in the illustrious history of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Having joined the team mid-season last year, Dion has appeared in just 26 games with the tribe, yet his impact and influence were immediately present. The Leafs were once again defiant, no longer afraid to lose, and asserting their ambition to win. “That, to me, was where he was making a statement to everyone in the building that he wanted to be a captain here,” "I believe January 31 will go down as a critical day in the timeline of this team. That’s when things started to change. You could see it." -Brian Burke "As soon as he came in he had a major impact on our room. I think it was obvious to everybody." “He made a big impact... ...took over the room a little bit. A guy that plays hard. Plays whistle to whistle the right way, holds his teammates accountable." 404 NHL games played. 77 goals, 161 assists, 238 points. 556 penalty minutes. 22 of his 77 goals are game-winners. His first historic goal as a Maple Leaf: His second goal as a Maple Leaf, the very next game, the last game of the season, in overtime: "I think the best way to lead is you don't have to be the loudest guy but you definitely want to be the guy who's working the hardest day in and day out." -Toronto Maple Leafs Captain, Dion Phaneuf The past, the present, the future. The circle is once again complete. Ahead of us is only a focal point with no horizon. The Dawn Is Here Now. ![]() (And that's a complete set, I think. I can't imagine there'll be a 7th volume. If you want to read the whole series, they're all here, though a lot of the pictures are missing now.) |
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![]() Not sure why, but I'm getting a bad vibe from this guy. Fehr may be a newcomer to the sport of hockey, but he's a well-known figure among North American sports fans. Fehr was in charge of the Major League Baseball Players Association for 24 years, a period that saw several work stoppages including the cancellation of the 1994 World Series. While it's too early to know the impact that Fehr would have in his new role, we may be able to learn a few things from the way he got it. According to my sources, the NHLPA asked every potential candidate to fill out a simple one-page application form. I've obtained a copy of that form, and I think it sheds a lot of light on how Fehr managed to secure the job. *** Thank you for applying for the position of Executive Director of the NHLPA. To help us determine your qualifications, please fill out this application form and hand it to the on-duty manager. Please note that only those applicants selected for an interview will be contacted. First Name: Last Name: Does your name lend itself to any cool headline puns that describe how scary you are? Please list your desired salary for this position: Please list the percentage of that salary that you are willing to have randomly placed into an escrow that you do not understand: Describe any previous job experience you have which would be relevant to a position at the NHLPA, such as working at a daycare or as a public safety investigator specializing in train wrecks. Rate your knowledge of hockey on a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 is "poor" and 10 is "extremely poor". Hours during the day that you are available to work: Hours during the middle of the night that you are available to be fired: List any experience you have in dealing with cripplingly short-sighted work stoppages. (Use the back of the paper if you need extra space.) This is probably a long shot, but by any chance do you have experience working with uncharismatic, condescending and universally despised professional sports commissioners? Please describe your level of expertise when it comes to hacking into an e-mail system. If you wrote anything other than "absolutely none" for that last question, please crumple your application into a ball and toss it into the nearest waste basket. Place a checkmark next to any of the following that you feel you would be able to acquire on behalf of the players: ( ) Two weeks of vacation during the regular season ( ) Four weeks of vacation during the offseason ( ) Twelve months of vacation during the 2012-13 season Please look at the attached photo of Gary Bettman making his very best "intimidating face". Write down the total number of seconds you were able to stare at it without laughing. It's a long story, but we're going to need the successful candidate to let Eric Lindros follow them around 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You're cool with that, aren't you? AREN'T YOU? Any future threats of a work stoppage are likely to be extremely unpopular with hockey fans, many of whom would take it as a devastating betrayal on the part of a sport they've cared for deeply since childhood. How convincingly would you be able to fake caring about that? Bonus grammar question: Why is it a "Players Association" in baseball, basketball and football, but a "Players' Association" in the NHL? Finally, and most importantly: In the space below, please describe in detail how you plan to react when we all inevitably rise up and backstab you in 12 to 18 months. |
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from Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun,
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from Michael Traikos of the National Post,
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from MapleLeafs.com,
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TORONTO - The Toronto Maple Leafs have signed unrestricted free agent forward Clarke MacArthur to a one-year contract. |








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