Is the NHL a fan of the NFL?

Let’s hope so.

Let’s hope that the NHL and NHLPA watched this spring and summer how the NFL and NFLPA got a deal done and avoided missing any meaningful games.

Say what you want about how the owners of the NFL teams locked the players out when the CBA expired and the Players de-certified the Union to gain leverage and all the other posturing and maneuvering that went on this summer. The bottom line is, both sides sat down and hammered out a deal.
At times it was actually quite refreshing to see how the deal got done. Sure you had the odd ridiculous player complaining that they were being treated like slaves……and once in a while you had a billionaire owner elude to the fact that their share of the $9 billion dollar revenue number that had to be split up might not be enough for the future….. For the most part though, when it became evident to both sides that the game and business was too good to mess up, they got behind closed doors and got a tough deal done. Which side won? Who cares? The fans won and the health of football won. Come week 1 of the NFL schedule real fans won’t even be thinking of what happened in May, June and July.

It is hard to even bring this up but yes, the CBA between the NHL and its’ players is expiring in about a year. Hard to believe right? Certainly I am not comparing the health and wealth of the leagues but hopefully the same saneness can prevail to get a new deal done. Yes there are major issues the league has to address. No doubt. There always is.  But both sides also need to see that a huge amount of damage that was done by missing the 2004-2005 season has been made up and that any further work stoppage would be ruinous to that progress. I am by no means a labor lawyer or a player union representative but some things are easy to see. The League brought in nearly $3 billion, the fifth straight year it has brought in record amounts.  Things are looking up. The salary cap has consistently increased. Even with both those things there are still concerns and unhappiness on both sides with the current deal. Is it so broken that a work stoppage will occur again to try and get it fixed? Only time will tell. But wasn’t that what the last stoppage was for? It would be hard to imagine the owners of NHL teams wanting to bring whatever momentum hockey has recently developed to halt. Surely the new ownership groups in Tampa and Winnipeg don’t want or need that. They say history is the best teacher. Let’s hope the NHL is a good student.
Time moves very quickly, especially once a hockey season starts. It will be playoff time before you know it. Hopefully Mr. Bettman and Mr. Fehr get directed by their bosses to work like Mr. Goodell and Mr. Smith did. Get behind closed doors and get working on a deal.

Gotta love it! Time for kickoff!!!!!

Canada Day!

It is obviously a big weekend in the United States and always great to celebrate July 4rth. But let's not forget that July 1st is also Canada Day! So for all us goofy Canadians, this one is for us. (remember all in good fun.)

You know you're Canadian if :

You're not offended by the term, "Homo Milk".
You understand the sentence, "Could you please pass me a serviette, I just spilled my Bowl of Poutine!"
You eat chocolate bars instead of candy bars.
You drink pop, not soda.
You had a Prime Minister who wasn't fluent in either of the official languages (English & French).
You know that a mickey and 2-4's mean "Party at thecamp, eh?!"
You talk about the weather with strangers and friends alike.
When there is a social problem, you turn to your government to fix it, instead of telling them to stay out of it.
You get milk in bags as well as cartons and plastic jugs.
Pike is a type of fish, not some part of a highway.
You drive on a highway, not a freeway.
You have Canadian Tire money in your kitchen drawers.
You know that Mounties "don't always look like that."
You dismiss all beers under 6% as "for children and the elderly."
You have an Inuit carving by your bedside with the rationale, "What's good enough protection for the Prime Minister is good enough for me."
You wonder why there isn't a 5 dollar coin yet.
Like any international assasin/terrorist/spy in the world, you possess a Canadian Passport.
You know the French equivalents of "free", "prize", and "no sugar added", thanks to your extensive education in bilingual cereal packaging.
You are excited whenever an American television show mentions Canada.
You were mad at the CBC when "The Beachcombers" were taken off the air.
You know what a touque is and you own one and often wear it.
You know Toronto is NOT a province.
You never miss "Coach's Corner" during Hockey Night in Canada.
Back bacon and Kraft Dinner are two of your favourite food groups.
If you live in some of the colder Canadian provinces, your car has a cord and plug sticking out of the grill ... it's a block heater for those sub-zero (in Celsius) days.
You only know three spices: salt, pepper and ketchup.
You design your Halloween costume to fit over a snowsuit.
The mosquitoes have landing lights.
You have more kilometres on your snow blower than your car.
Canadian Tire Store on any Saturday is busier than most toy stores at Christmas.
You've taken your kids trick-or-treating in a blizzard.
Driving is better in the winter because the potholes are filled in with frozen snow and slush.
You think sexy lingerie is tube-socks and a flannel nightie with only 8 buttons.
You owe more money on your snowmobile than your car.
The local paper covers national and international headlines on 2 pages, but requires 6 pages for hockey.
At least twice a year, the kitchen doubles as a meat processing plant.
The most effective mosquito repellent is a shotgun.
Your snowblower gets stuck on the roof.
You think the start of deer season is a national holiday.
You head South to go to your cottage.
You know which leaves make good toilet paper now that there are no more dollar bills..
You find -40C a little chilly.
You know 4 seasons: Winter, Still Winter, almost Winter and Construction.
The municipality buys a Zamboni before a bus.
You understand the Labatt Blue commercials.
You perk-up when you hear the theme from "Hockey Night in Canada".

Have a safe and fun holiday weekend!!!!!