The first shot in what could be a long and ugly labor battle was fired this week when the NHL gave notice to the NHLPA that it wants to modify or terminate the existing collective bargaining agreement in September. The decision was bad news for fans who were hoping to avoid another extended work stoppage.

Or maybe not. After all, everyone already knew that a renegotiation of the existing deal was coming, so the league's move amounted to a mere legal formality. The real action won't come until the two sides sit down to bargain later in the summer.

How will those negotiations go? Nobody knows yet, but sources tell me that the two sides are already hard at work compiling their lists of demands. According to insiders, here are some of the key issues that the NHL and NHLPA will be taking to the bargaining table over the next few months.

NHLPA - While we always realized that the odds of the Raffi Torres suspension being reduced on appeal were low, it still would have been nice for Gary Bettman to let Torres complete at least one sentence without immediately banging a giant gong.

NHL -We all agree that we absolutely must do something to discourage teams from signing players to extremely long-term contracts, so could you guys ask Ilya Bryzgalov to send us a nice photo we could make into a poster to hang in every owner's office?

NHLPA - Several of our members insist that we revamp the draft lottery system so that the Edmonton Oilers don't win every year, although come to think of it everyone who told us that looked an awful lot like a 17-year-old prospect wearing a fake mustache and beard.

NHL - Yes, having large markets play deep into the playoffs increase television ratings and yes, it's important for overall league revenue that the sport do well in the southern US, but we still can't shake the nagging feeling that at some point someone will notice that the LA Kings' net has been two feet smaller than everyone else's for the last month.

NHLPA - Mike Komisarek says it would be super-awesome if we could have just one conversation about an amnesty buyout period without everyone in the hockey world awkwardly turning and staring at him.

NHL - Everyone is clearly fed up with the current discipline system where some suspensions are too long and others are too short and there's never any consistency, so let's just go back to having every suspension consistently being too short like it was a few years ago.

NHLPA - We've still been unable to get any feedback on CBA issues from any members of the New York Rangers, since whoever keeps answering the phone when we call their dressing room just grunts monosyllabic answers at us like a sullen teenager and hangs up.

NHL - Look, all those "lazy Russians don't want to win in the playoffs" narratives took a lot of work for the hockey world to build up over the years, so we'd really appreciate it if Ilya Kovalchuk could stop singlehandedly ruining them.

NHLPA - While we realize that it's become tradition for the Stanley Cup winning captain to pose for a photograph with the commissioner before being handed the trophy, it's still kind of creepy how Bettman always takes that moment to whisper "I've been sitting in this all day without pants".

NHL - Even though he did somehow obtain all of the proper licenses and permits first, it's still not cool how David Booth keeps leaping out of our grandkids' closets and gunning down all their teddy bears.

NHLPA -While we can appreciate that the league would like to increase offense by encouraging forwards and defensemen to refrain from blocking shots, there has to be a better way than just mailing us all a "What Would Marc-Andre Fleury Do?" bracelet.

NHL - Despite consistent profits since the last lockout and record revenues that have increased by almost one billion dollars, it's vitally important that we get further concessions from the players to ensure the ongoing health of the… oh man, we came so close to getting all the way through that with a straight face, let us try it just one more time.

 

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The Big Bad Toronto Media - Editor In Leaf - Editor In Leaf - A Toronto Maple Leafs Blog

The Marlies kept on marching in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals despite a significant layoff after a quick second round series win against Abbotsford. Call them the Los Angeles Kings of the AHL post season; they’re now 8-1 in the playoffs and it seems to matter little whether they’re playing at home or [...]

Make it eight. No, not Canadian teams -- consecutive wins for the Los Angeles Kings, who took a 3-0 series lead over the Phoenix Coyotes in the Western Conference Finals with a 2-1 Game 3 victory. While the result was the same, Thursday night's script was slightly different, at least for the first 21 minutes. The Coyotes came out stronger in Los Angeles, outshooting the Kings 11-8 in the first period and showing that they wouldn't go easily. A minute into the second period, they finally beat Jonathan Quick, as Daymond Langkow slipped a shot through the LA netminder's pads on a partial breakaway to give the Coyotes their first lead of the series. But only 127 seconds later, the Kings answered. Dustin Brown found Anze Kopitar streaking in behind the Phoenix defence, and Kopitar made two elite plays to tie the score: first, he deftly accepted the pass by kicking it from his skate to his stick, and second, he opened up Mike Smith up with a first-class deke, slipping the puck through the five-hole. And then the Kings kept answering.

It’s a meeting of two top AHL affiliates of a pair of young and rebuilding Canadian NHL franchises, both vying for a spot in the Calder Cup Final. The Western Conference final between the AHL Western Conference’s top two teams in the Toronto Marlies and Oklahoma City Barons has little separating them on paper. A [...]

As the draft continues to draw nearer, the Mikhail Grigorenko story becomes more and more interesting. A player once believed to be a lock for the 2nd or 3rd spot in the draft is beginning to slide down the rankings, and is currently pegged anywhere from 4th to 20th. This opens up a scenario where [...]

Yeah, veiled Avengers reference. Well, not even veiled. Actually not even one of my better Mashup headlines, but very little happened in the NHL that was Leaf-related yesterday, and now we all have to pay the price. The Marlies begin their AHL Western Conference series against the Oklahoma City Barons tonight as the road team. [...]

On Tuesday, May 15, the Los Angeles Kings beat the Phoenix Coyotes 4-0 to take a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference finals. The Kings will have the chance to finish the series with the next two games at home in the Staples Center.

The Maple Leafs, like last summer, don’t have much in the way of unrestricted free agents to decide on (their big year in that regard comes after next season), with only Jonas Gustavsson, for whom the writing is on the wall (gonzo), and the Alaskan King Crabb himself, Joey Crabb, to consider re-upping. Late July [...]

There are two lines of thinking when it comes to the Toronto Marlies. One: Let’s just enjoy the ride, a team in Toronto is finally winning. Two: How does this translate to the Leafs? (Which then shoots off into a million different opinions of how this helps, if this even matters, and so on). Frankly, [...]

It’s the time of year when hockey fans see something they’re not used to on NHL injury reports: honesty.

By now fans have become used to teams being as vague as possible when it comes to health issues. Many injuries to key players are never acknowledged at all, and those that are mentioned are cryptically referred to as upper or lower body injuries and nothing more.

But that all changes one a team has been eliminated. There’s no point in keeping up the charade once the season is over, so teams finally let the public know what sort of medical challenges the players were dealing with. Sometimes the news confirms fans’ existing suspicions, and sometimes we’re all caught completely off-guard.

Here are some of the hidden injuries that teams have recently revealed after being eliminated from Stanley Cup contention.

Ryan Suter, Nashville Predators – His teammates say he was obviously dealing with some sort of major injury that will require him to meet with a specialist in Detroit, since he spent the past few months constantly whispering into his cellphone about some sort of appointment there at 12:01 on July 1.

David Backes, St. Louis Blues – Along with several teammates, suffered abdominal injuries from laughing at that moronic advance scout who kept insisting that the best way to score on Jonathan Quick was to take slapshots from centre ice.

Ed Jovanovski, Florida Panthers – Keeps saying that he thinks this year’s first round loss will help the Panthers when they’re back in the playoffs next year, which has led to facial trauma from all the people who keep pinching his cheeks and telling him he’s being just adorable.

Ryan Kesler, Vancouver Canucks – Will be out for six months after surgery to repair an injured labrum that has confounded local experts, in the sense that they haven’t been able to figure out how to blame it on Roberto Luongo.

Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins – Was not only hurt but also has terrible cellphone reception since every time you ask him what his injury is he yells “Uh, you’re breaking up on me” and hangs up, according to the people who put together Team Canada’s entry in the World Championships.

Brad Marchand, Boston Bruins – Was battling through an upper-body injury that team doctors described as unusual, since it’s rare to see so many knee-cap-shaped bruises on somebody’s shoulder like that.

Erik Karlsson, Ottawa Senators – Looked pretty darn tired towards the end there and should probably just take half of next season off, according to this petition from other NHL blueliners who’d like to have a chance at winning the defencemen scoring title.

Claude Giroux, Philadelphia Flyers – At some point between the first and second rounds, apparently had whatever that type of injury is that turns you from the consensus best player in the world to an overrated bum that everyone hates in a week.

Nicklas Lidstrom, Detroit Red Wings – Has been spotted walking around with this weird growth on his back that looks kind of like Mike Babcock crying and screaming “Please don’t retire!”

Patrick Marleau, San Jose Sharks – Embarrassed team doctors recently admitted that it turns out that they didn’t need to list him on every injury report after all, since technically “eyebrows that make you look super-surprised in every photo” aren’t actually considered an upper body injury.

Alexander Ovechkin, Washington Capitals –Has been dealing with a severely broken heart ever since he heard that coach Dale Hunter won’t return next year, he told everyone, although come to think of it considering all the champagne and balloons there’s a chance he may have been being sarcastic.

Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks – Obviously suffered some sort of serious injury to his knees or legs, since every story about him on gossip blogs these days ends with all his friends having to carry him.

Writer and columnist Adam Proteau has been with The Hockey News since 1999. He is a frequent contributor to radio — including his role as host of THN’s Radio Show on XM Satellite Radio — and TV programs across North America and won the Professional Hockey Writers Association’s award for best column in 2005-06. Adam [...]

Last night being the first game of the Western Conference final, there was some concern on my part over how good the game would be, given the style of hockey both teams play.  I am in no way beneath stating that I was wrong, no exception here.  … [visit site to read more]

Kings And Coyotes Put On Great Show - Editor In Leaf - Editor In Leaf - A Toronto Maple Leafs Blog

The New York Rangers are the only team left that only plays defense, so if they win the Stanley Cup, the league will be worse off.

With four teams left and the NHL playoffs set to wind down, news and trade rumors should pick up as we get closer to the draft. “Wind down” is perhaps the wrong way to say it, but with fewer games happening (we’ll soon be at one every two nights) there’s a lot more time to [...]

Hello, this is a feature that will run through the entire season and aims to recap the weekend's events and boils those events down to one admittedly superficial fact or stupid opinion about each team. Feel free to complain about it. There's been a lot of talk about what this season has meant for the Washington Capitals in the hours leading up to, and then immediately following, their final game of the remarkably eventful 2011-12 season. Wysh had a pretty good recap of the reasons the Capitals felt this little run to a pair of one-goal Game 7s against the Nos. 1 and 2 seeds in the Eastern Conference — both having been heavy favorites — vindicated the Dale Hunter system of everyone playing defense and collapsing to within three inches of the crease, and it's perfectly reasonable for people to feel that way. Certainly, no one expected these Capitals to do much damage in the postseason given that they frittered away a division they were picked to dominate. But the thing that everyone seems to forget is that, again, they were picked to dominate the Southeast, be a superpower in the East and the League at large. If the team tuned out Bruce Boudreau, and it appears they did, then wasn't his replacement, whoever it happened to be, more or less expected to get this far? Therefore, it becomes a question about what changed, and really, what didn't. Let's not forget, Boudreau came in originally and let guys like Alex Semin, Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom and Mike Green have their run of the rink. Two-minute shifts? Sure! Goals aplenty? You bet. But in the end, what did it get them? Bounce-outs, and if you believe the talk, disappointing ones at that. So Boudreau changed the style, focusing more on defense, tethering Ovechkin and Co. to an extent, and … getting the same amount of success. Under each of the two clearly definable Boudreau regimes, the team lost in the conference quarter- and semi-finals. Which is of course notable because the latter is exactly how far Hunter got in his first chance at the tiller, despite doing everything in his power not to: like limiting Ovechkin to fewer than 20 minutes a night in every game in this series save for Saturday's Game 7 and the three-overtime Game 3, in which he played 35:14 — or, if you prefer 17:37 per three periods of play. This therefore vindicates Hunter only as far as it vindicated Boudreau; which, with a roster like this, and given the "choker" label being hung liberally on the former Caps coach this time last year. The philosophy changed radically under Hunter, and worked only as far as it did for Boudreau. Why? ( Coming Up: Team USA, international ass-kickers; getting stupid about Patrick Kane's drinking; Parise's future; Could Brad Stuart return to the Sharks?; Kevin Lowe says Ryan Murray is the top player in this year's draft class; Suter/Weber questions; Pancakes Penner's revenge; Bruins pumped for Dougie Hamilton; Alfredsson retirement watch; Leafs/Penguins trade?; Lundqvist is King; Alex Burrows runs and hugs a goalie; and Winnipeg Jets fans are burning Coyotes jerseys.)

Being a Leafs fan in Northern Alberta offers few benefits. I get to see the team play live only once a year. I have to subscribe to Center Ice or track down feeds online if I want to catch Sportsnet or Leafs TV games, and I never know what is happening with the Marlies. To [...]

HELSINKI (AP) Dion Phaneuf scored twice and Devan Dubnyk stopped 24 shots to help Canada crush Kazakhstan 8-0 Saturday and reach the quarterfinals of hockey's world championships.

Vacouver Olympic champions Canada maintained their world ice hockey championship preliminary group lead with an 8-0 thrashing of former Soviet republic Kazakhstan here on Saturday.

“Championship is the goal. Not to get in the 8th spot and get your ass kicked.” - Leafs GM Brian Burke You’ve probably seen this quote before, because it’s been repeated by Toronto media and sports fans alike throughout the NHL playoffs. Now the LA Kings are in the Western Conference Finals and even though [...]

Tonight, hockey fans will get to hear two of the most ominous words in sports: "game seven". The Washington Capitals will visit the New York Rangers for the conclusion of their series with a trip to the conference finals hanging in the balance.

For most fans, that makes the game something to look forward to. But if you're a diehard Capital or Ranger fan, maybe not. After all, seeing an entire season come down to a single winner-take-all contest can be excruciating. And let's face it, some fans handle this sort of situation better than others.

So whether you're a nervous fan or will have the misfortune of spending time around one, I'm here to help. Here are some tips on how to handle the day of a crucial NHL playoff game.

DO: If you'd prefer to watch alone, plan to take in the game someplace where you know you'll never have to worry about running into any hockey fans at this time of year.
DO NOT: Be rude if the Rexall Place security guard doesn't agree to let you in right away.

DO: Try your best to ignore that one guy watching the game with you and your friends who doesn't seem to be a hockey fan, know what's going on, or have even the slightest understanding about the NHL and how it works.
DO NOT: Be surprised when he casually mentions that he's in the process of buying the Phoenix Coyotes.

DO: Apologize immediately if the stress of the situation causes you to lose your temper with your children by snapping at them with one-word answers every time they try to talk to you.
DO NOT: Make the situation worse by explaining that you were simply trying to talk to them "Tortorella-style".

DO: Adhere to your time-honoured superstitions by making sure to watch from the exact same spot you were sitting in the last time your team won a game this big.
DO NOT: Take any attitude from people saying things like "You're sitting in my seat" and "You're blocking my view" and "You moved out of this apartment years ago, we're calling the police".

DO: Remember to be considerate of others who don't seem interested in the game, such as when turning to the obnoxious guys next to you at the bar and politely asking "Could you please keep it down, I'm feeling nervous about the big game that starts in a few hours".
DO NOT: Push it too far by adding "And come to think of it, aren't you supposed to be playing in it, Andrei?"

DO: Invite your New York Ranger fan friend out for a night of heavy drinking to get his mind off of the game.
DO NOT: Become too annoyed when he rushes around blocking everyone's attempt to take a shot out of force of habit.

DO: Reassure your Washington Capital fan best friend that he'll have your support win or lose, because he's always been there in good times and bad and is incredibly important to you.
DO NOT: Add that, based on what you've learned in the past few weeks from watching Dale Hunter, that means you're now going to have to start hanging out with six or seven other guys way more often than him for no apparent reason.

DO: Try to articulate the enormous respect you have for NHL players by coming up with some sort of comparison you could make to people in other professions.
DO NOT: Be surprised when this attempt results in you being pulled over five separate times on the way home by the NYPD.

DO: Take a moment to acknowledge that hockey is only a game, and while seeing your team win is nice it will never be more important than the time you spend with your loved ones.
DO NOT: Forget to make sure they've all left the room before apologizing profusely to the hockey gods and promising to never say something so ridiculous ever again.

DO: Remain philosophical in the face of defeat by saying things like "A tough playoff loss can be devastating, but I guess it's just an experience that we all have to go through at some point during our lives".
DO NOT: Point and laugh when the eight-year-old Maple Leafs fan next to you immediately begins to cry.

Quiet day for Leafs and Marlies content, but here are a few links for your Friday morning perusal: Barons one win away from Western Conference Final Looking like first-placed Oklahoma City – the Oilers’ AHL affiliate – will be the Marlies’ Western Conference Final opponent as the Barons have taken a 3-1 lead in their [...]

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) Coach Bruce Boudreau's shortened debut season with the Anaheim Ducks was good enough to keep him around for a whole lot longer.

Toronto Marlies 3, Abbotsford Heat 2 – Marlies take series 4-1 Game sheet The Toronto Marlies continue their playoff march towards the Calder Cup finals after disposing of the Abbotsford Heat in overtime of game 5 of the Western Conference Semi-Finals. Despite not playing a great game, it was good enough to get them the [...]

The Toronto Marlies have a 3-1 lead in the Western Conference Semi-finals and look to deliver a “kill shot” to a team that had their number at the end of the regular season tonight in Abbotsford. The Marlies started the series well in game 1, but had a tough time beating Abbotsford’s goaltender, Danny Taylor. [...]