NHL 2011/2012 Season

I think that's a smart move.  

No NHL action is killllllin me. I don't even care if there isn't an 82 game season. I'd be satisfied with a smaller season if it still actually happened. 

That could be real awesome - can you imagine the rivalry between a seattle based team and the Canucks in Vancouver! Doubt it would happen, but you never know. 

Going to have a rant now:

I've just had enough of that clown Bettman, attempting to throw his philosophies of spreading the game to parts of America which will NEVER have the cult following. Phoenix are struggling as are the hurricane, nashville and columbus. These teams are haemorrhaging money which is part of the reason we're in this shtooking lockout.. Cut these weak teams and put a few more Canadian teams in the mix I can guarantee revenue would increase by even more than it has been.

The NHLPA are not doing themselves any good by not even attempting to shape their offer to what the NHL have put on the table.. I was so against the NHL and bettman at the start but at least they're attempting to move their deal towards (albeit slowly and it seems reluctantly) a deal which is closer to what the PA wants only for the PA to table 3 cr@p offers. A new CBA is never going to get agreed to.

It's absolute $hit that the fans are being treated like this and all the people whose income is derived from game days. Neither of the parties gives a dime about the fan's, just about getting the most green in their pockets. 

You gotta hate what sport has become nowadays, it's not so much about the passion anymore as it is about lining their own pockets.

No chance we're getting a full season. Or even one from the Winter classic if things don't change drastically very very soon. 

Start of last week, I was actually contemplating the season starting in November but as things keep going I honestly don't know if we'll even see a puck drop this season..

Giroux chopping in the Eishockey Liga. Check out the highlight reels at the end, so classic!

Read that Steve Fehr and Daly had a decent discussion on the phone. Hoping that leads to a proper meeting with the big dogs. Unless something happens soon, its good bye Winter Classic. If that goes, they've lost a massive massive game of hockey - can you imagine a game being played in Michigan Stadium in front of 110,000 people!

Are you talking about purely America, or is Canada included in that? Because referring to hockey fans as a 'small legion' is not even close to true.

It's the most annoying fact about Hockey, that Canadians will come back to it, regardless of when the lock out ends. It's just too good of a sport. At least from my point of view anyway.

http://espn.go.com/nhl/story/_/id/8610430/nhl-labor-talks-end-tense-exchanges-sources-say

This season just isn't going to happen from the looks of it. What a shame. 

The fans lose the most, as always.  This season is a wash I'm afraid.  Even if they come back, I hope the fans don't.  These guys don't deserve it.

I think I'll watch it again but I'm not going to go out of my way for it.  They need to be taught a lesson where it hurts, in the wallet.  The unfortunate thing is that it hurts all of the little guys more like sports stores, vendors, arena workers, etc.  The millionaires and billionaires just keep on rolling.  Except the players now have a pension 

Toronto should be down near the Columbus level 

Philly is a great team if they can just get the goaltending they need.  The wild are unproven but will be entertaining.  I don't get to see many western conf teams so I'm a bit out of the loop with them.

Also, Fleury won a cup, where's the respect!?  

Marie Andrea Fleury blows donkey nuts.

I'm not getting my hopes too high for the Wings this year... the D took a big hit with losing Lidstrom to retirement and Stuart returning to the Sharks.  

In the West I think the Kings, Canucks and Blackhawks will be strong with the Blues being my sleeper pick.

In the East I'll go with the Rangers, Bruins and Caps.  I hate that team from Pittsburgh enough to avoid mentioning them.

And cups trump everything zakk, sorry man.  I have a lot of respect for your comments as you know your stuff.  The fact is, winning erases everything.  I was thinking back today to how back Thomas Kaberle was with the Bruins, they won despite his sht play.  Do I really care?  Not really, my team won!  Fleury has a tremendous team in front of him most of the time, but he DID get it done that one year and that's all that counts.

The Sharks, and Thornton in particular, just don't deliver.  You obviously know this already, I'm just going for the low blow