The NHL and players? association had no further labor negotiations scheduled as of Tuesday morning, despite a league-imposed deadline of end of Thursday to reach a new collective bargaining agreement in order to save the full 82-game schedule.
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But we have to keep busy on the Blueshirts Blog, so I?ve cobbled together links to some of the top recent lockout coverage, some Rangers prospect news, and even a review of EA Sports? NHL '13 video game (the only NHL hockey on my TV set this October).
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Feel free to comment at the bottom of my post with lockout, NHL and Ranger questions or suggestions that I can respond to either here or on my Twitter account @NYDNRangers.
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WAX ON, WAX OFF ? LOCK IN, LOCK OUT
Bill Daly from the league and Steve Fehr from the union spoke during the weekend about revenue definitions and clarifications, but their contact behind the scenes does not change the fact that a deal by end of Thursday looks bleak at best.
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Take NHLPA executive director Don Fehr?s quote from this interview with Canadian press agency QMI, reported by former Blueshirts Blog video star Bruce Garrioch at the Ottawa Sun, when asked whether he is hopeful the sides will be able to sit down and hammer out an agreement:
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?We?re available at any time,? Fehr told QMI. ?Where the commissioner left (the negotiations on Thursday) was: ?(Don?t call) unless you?re prepared to tell me you?ll accept everything that?s on the table ? (or) if you want you can call me about that ?make whole? provision. There?s no point. What am I supposed to do if I believe him??
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The NHL seems not only to want the players to make massive concessions, but also to do so within the framework of the league?s proposal ? not through a counteroffer from the union that restructures the landscape. So the league shot down all three of the NHLPA's proposals last Thursday.
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It?s important also to remember that there is a game of egos and private frustrations ongoing behind the scenes, one in which Don Fehr and NHL commissioner Gary Bettman play huge roles, as I wrote on Sunday.
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On Tuesday morning, Renaud Lavoie of RDS in Canada reported that the NHL gave owners and general managers permission to talk to their players about the league?s last collective bargaining proposal without alerting the NHLPA. Steve Fehr, the union?s special counsel, responded to Lavoie: ?Most owners are not allowed to attend bargaining meetings. No owners are allowed to speak to the media about the bargaining. It is interesting that they are secretly unleashed to talk to the players about the meetings the players can attend but the owners cannot.?
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While the frustrating public relations battle raged on, Mark Spector of SportsNet in Canada ? who has no problem defending the league on occasion if the information dictates he should do so ? wrote a scathing column saying Bettman should step down as commissioner after these negotiations, then another column explaining the pressures Bettman is facing during this crucial week and beyond.
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In bad news for the players? association, meanwhile, Nashville Predators forward Sergei Kostitsyn was caught telling Russian newspaper Sport-Express that ?it would be better (for the players) if the lockout continues.? This type of comment does not convince the NHL the union is interested in good faith bargaining, even if they actually are.
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Kostitsyn also said playing in Europe could be better because he ?couldn?t get used to (the American) mentality. They are totally different people from us.? Then he called Columbus the ?gloomiest city in the U.S., a comment which I would love to throw up to former-Ranger/now-Blue Jacket Brandon Dubinsky for a response during the season if it?s called for.
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Finally, four links to lockout stories you should read and writers you should follow consistently, if you don?t do so already:
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1. Elliotte Friedman, CBC Sports: ?30 Thoughts: NHL lockout enters crucial week?
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2. Nick Cotsonika, Yahoo! Spors: ?NHL and NHLPA wasting time with scare tactics and PR stunts instead of settling CBA?
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3. Michael Grange, SportsNet: ?Darkest before dawn?
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4. Jesse Spector, The Sporting News: Playing devil?s advocate ? ?Don?t fear the shortened season, NHL; embrace it?
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McILRATH RECOVERING
The Rangers announced last Friday that 2010 first-round pick and defensive prospect Dylan McIlrath had a ?follow-up? procedure on his left knee and that it went ?very well.?
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?We are happy with the results,? the club said in a statement. ?Dylan has not been cleared to return to the ice yet, but he is making great progress.?
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McIlrath dislocated his left knee cap on June 27 when he collided with now-Connecticut Whale forward Kyle Jean at the Rangers? development camp in Greenburgh, then underwent surgery on July 6.
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Watch the Rangers? Jim Cerny interview McIlrath on Blueshirts United for more information on the youngster?s health.
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NHL ?13 ? FEAR THE STAAL SLAPPER, NASH BEEFS UP THE POWER PLAY, SPEED KILLS
EA Sports? newest hockey release allows gamers to create the Ultimate Team, rewrite or relive great hockey moments, be their own pros, or go full-tilt on the highly-involved GM Connected mode. All of these features are excellent features, but I?m simple when it comes to sports games, and all I care about is: can I play the sport realistically? Is it challenging? And how accurately are the players portrayed?
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By my standards, NHL ?13 passes the test with flying colors. Most impressive is its True Performance Skating feature, which incorporates real-world physics to accurately portray how skaters stride, gain and lose momentum, turn and react to contact.
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Most skaters in real life, for example, slow down when an opponent forces them to change direction or turn. That happens to puck-carriers in NHL ?13. But smooth skaters and stick-handlers such as the Flyers? Claude Giroux, who graces the games? cover, are able to better maintain high speeds when juking and changing direction. That explains why I was able to weave in from the left blue line to the high slot around two Penguins defensemen and zip a wrister past Marc-Andre Fleury, as Giroux would.
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The Rangers are portrayed fairly accurately: Marian Gaborik is the most skilled offensive player and most fun to play with, since he zips around slow-footed defensemen. Carl Hagelin is incredibly effective also, due to his speed. Brad Richards is the most deft passer. Perhaps the best offensive weapon for the Rangers in this game is Marc Staal?s slap shot. He unloads rockets from the point and high slot. Fellow defensemen Ryan McDonagh and Michael Del Zotto are fast and skilled, and McDonagh is physical riding guys off the puck. And you?ll love to hear this, Ranger fans: Rick Nash routinely bodies defensemen off their positions in front of the net on the power play, improving the Blueshirts? man advantage. I know, you can?t wait to see if that will happen in real life. We all want this lockout to end.
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The goalie controls also are much more realistic and detailed, but I don?t trust myself playing net for a full 60 minutes unless it?s in the backyard. Maybe if this lockout keeps dragging on, I?ll call up Henrik Lundqvist and see if he?ll play a few virtual games in goal.
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I?ll bet he will resent the fact that NHL ?13 insults his glove hand big time, even after a Vezina Trophy-winning season.
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Find more information on NHL ?13 and buy the game on the EA Sports site.
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Have a question about the Blueshirts or a comment? Find Pat on Twitter at @NYDNRangers.
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