This is Day 3 of the NHL lockout, 2012 edition. Every day, we'll serve up some CBA talk and help you get your hockey fix. Let's begin, shall we?
CBA roundup:
• "So we haven't even missed preseason games yet, and there's talk of replacement players already? I'm highly skeptical, I can't imagine that would pass too many labor protests or any other hurdles that would be associated. Still, the talk of replacement players is already out there." -- former Maple Leaf assistant general manager Bill Watters in the (Toronto Sun)
NHL Lockout | ||
|
||
More NHL coverage | ||
• Players are still allowed to practice at team facilities so long as they rent the ice time. All the other regular comforts? " 'We have to bring your own drinks, shampoo, everything,' Stephen Weiss said laughing." A good look at a Panthers "practice" at the team's ice rink on Monday from George Richards. (Miami Herald)
• Also from the same story, this quote from Tomas Vokoun is pretty strong; it's worth sharing separately: "With the way Gary Bettman has handled every negotiation, this is no surprise to me. There is a race for public opinion on who is right and who is wrong, but the NHL grew revenue by 40 percent in seven years. There isn't a company anywhere, not even Socialist countries, who would ask their employees to take a pay cut after that. It makes no sense. They run this league. This is their business. We all suffer from this. The players, fans and owners. Everyone except for Gary Bettman." (Miami Herald)
• "This is the most unnecessary lockout of them all. It is not about fighting for a new way of doing business like the last one. It is merely about how to slice up a billion-dollar pie." -- David Shoalts. (Globe and Mail) Couldn't have said it better myself.
• You know who could come to the table to help solve the current labor impasse? Jesse Spector does: Brendan Shanahan. Hey, why not? (Sporting News)
• Who says the lockout is all bad? Ian Mendes has a list of the 10 positives. Will you really miss the boneheaded callers to the radio shows? Me, neither. (Ottawa Citizen)
Hockey fix
Let's go back for probably the loudest regular-season goal scored last season. You would usually find that at the end of the year, when the games "mean more." But was there one louder than in the Winnipeg Jets' first game of the season, when Nik Antropov scored a dirty goal to beat Carey Price and give the Jets 2.0 their first goal? Probably not. The atmosphere that day was amazing.
For more hockey news, rumors and analysis, follow @EyeOnHockey and @StubitsCBS on Twitter and like us on Facebook.