Battle Of Hudson

This could finally be it. At least that’s what the Devils and Ilya Kovalchuk are hoping. Lou Lamoriello sure hopes the third time’s the charm after submitting the much rumored 15-year, $100 million contract to the NHL Friday.

If it doesn’t get Gary Bettman’s signed stamp of approval, what’s next for Kovalchuk? Should we take Russian agent Yuri Nikolaev at his word about the 48-hour deadline for a league that seems Hell bent on tossing one of their stars back to Russia where the 27 year-old sniper could wind up home in the KHL? That all depends on what comes out of today.

While this dark cloud hangs over Devil fans’ heads, it also has been a huge detriment to hockey- negatively impacting other free agents who remain unsigned. That the marquee FA of this year’s class could still possibly be without a contract as September looms is just nonsensical. But what else would you expect from a chaotic league intent on Armageddon II? Though if you count the post-’94 lockout, it’s really No.3, which ironically enough was the last time their product was hot coming off a strong Cup with the Blackhawks ending a long drought in a great series with the Flyers.

No matter what’s said out of league spin quarters, losing a player of Kovalchuk’s caliber isn’t good for business. Another rejection would only further draw a line in the sand, opening up a pandora’s box for other stars who signed long-term deals.

Hopefully, some sanity will prevail this time. Just don’t go in with too much enthusiasm.

The whole summer seems to have flown by like sand on a windy day at the beach. For us puckers, it has and continues to be about Kovalchuk, the Devils and the biggest pompous egomaniac to run a league named Buttman Bettman.

So, here we are just a few days away from August commencing with schools starting up and camps around the corner. Only nothing’s been decided thanks to Blochhead’s controversial decision. Retirement contract. Who ever heard of such a thing? As our Buffalo blogger Brian astutely noted during this fiasco, the average NHLer lasts a shade over six years. Earth to Blochhead and the powers that be. Ilya Kovalchuk is far from average, having already lasted a decade. Well, aside from the utter failure of Lockout II throwing away an entire season. Oh. And if you don’t think it is by now, you also believe in the tooth fairy, Easter Bunny and that jolly old fellow who shall remain unnamed for the kiddies.

Bettman wanted “cost certainty.” One of the dumbest terms to hit hockey along with “New NHL.” Where a panicked league continues to do just that, tweaking every rule trying to confuse players, coaches and fans alike. Brilliant. The owners were supposed to stop overpaying their product. But in case you hadn’t noticed, GMs found an innovative tactic around the cap- locking up cornerstone players to eccentric long-term deals that would make both Alexei Yashin and Carol Alt drool. This is the part where I love how it’s the players’ fault. As if someone was going to tell them not to sign on the dotted line.

The NHL is right that these ridiculous contracts are an issue which will be up for debate at the next CBA. Otherwise known as the real 2012 or perhaps hockey’s final death bed. Because apparently, Gary’s not satisfied with two. He wants to dare to destroy even more. Ever hear of the three strikes rule when you do something wrong? You get three chances. The first two and you’re on notice. Third time and you’re out. Well, that grand ‘ole commish we just can’t rid ourselves of hasn’t. He wants to lockout the players again. Who cares about consequences. Credibility again tossed aside.

So, the PA is taking things a bit more seriously with Donald Fear Fehr about to take over an operation that’s as dysfunctional as Bettman. I know what you’re thinking. This is the same universally loathed man who cost a baseball season in ’94. But the circumstances are different. The players need someone who will stand up and fight for their rights. A corrupt league is milking Blochhead’s decision, trying to run Kovalchuk out of town and back home to Russia. And if Bill Daly’s serious, pffft.

Who’s gonna stop this evil regime? The clock is ticking…

In case you’re wondering, we recently completed a nice feature interview with Oswego student Elizabeth Bernath, who enters her second year behind the mic. She calls the women’s hockey team. In the Q & A session, plenty is covered including her radio/college experience, the Devils, Kovalchuk, NHL and her taste in music which features Iron Maiden.

It can be caught on our other site:

Battle Of New York

Here’s an excerpt of the piece including a quick analysis on my subconscious state:

BONY: You’re a Devils fan. How long have you drank the Kool Aid?

EB: I’ve been a lifelong fan of the Devils. I was actually living in Texas when the Devils played the Dallas Stars in the 2000 Stanley Cup Finals so that was a pretty rough time. Now I’m up in Sabres country but there’s a surprising amount of Rangers fans lurking around that place.




BONY: Do you go to games? Anything stand out?


EB: Yes, I’ve been to tons of Devils games. The thing that stands out to me the most when you’re at a game is how knowledgeable and passionate the fan base is. You can walk up to anyone in the arena that’s wearing a Devils jersey and talk some serious hockey with them and you’ll always leave the game with more friends than you walked in with from talking to the other people in your section. It’s really like a big hockey family.

BONY: If yes, give us your Rock experience.

EB: The Rock is a great place to see a hockey game. It’s a state of the art building and was obviously designed with hockey in mind. I’ve been seated all over the arena, from the first row behind the bench to the last row in the upper corners, and there’s not a bad seat to be had in the building. Wherever your seat may be you always feel like you’re right on top of the ice and that building can really get loud.

BONY: Last night I dreamt that Kovalchuk scored off a face off from way out. I’m a Ranger fan. Does it mean anything?


EB: It’s your fear of him being a Devil and the Rangers facing him six times a year manifesting itself in your unconscious mind.

Well two days ago it looked like this was the beginning of the end (finally) of the Ilya Kovalchuk saga with various reports that he was ready to sign a new deal with the Devils. Especially considering Lou Lamoriello, Jeff Vanderbeek and agent Jay Grossman visited the NHL offices in New York to present the framework of another deal, which was rumored to be in the neighborhood of 13 years, $91 million. Whatever the terms, the league was supposed to render a decision yesterday and most people – including me, stupidly – figured this would be a fait accompli, that there would be absolutely no way a second deal gets a thumbs down, especially after two weeks plus of working on it.

Well, guess what? It looks like the NHL has once again thrown up a roadblock, with both Mark Everson of the Post and Tom Gulutti of the Record (among others) reporting the NHL has rejected the Devils’ latest framework for a contract. Simply unreal. Now at this point I’m getting impatient and annoyed with everyone involved. Especially with less than three weeks to go to camp. I hate to sound like Jet fan Joe Benigno with the Darrelle Revis situation at this point but at this point…JUST GET IT DONE!!!

Of course the league now looks like they’re on a total witch hunt to make it as hard as possible for the Devils to sign Kovalchuk. Arbitrator Richard Block‘s heavy-handed decision gave the league imperial power to decide the validity of all contracts where it didn’t exist before, and the league is flexing its muscles big-time now. What would make the league happy, exactly…an $8 million cap hit (resulting in an erstatz $2 million per year fine from the initial contract)? A completely flat contract of $7 million per year? Less than ten years on the deal? Or dragging its feet long enough so that Kovy can’t sign with us at all, though unfortunately for Inspector Javert…er, Gary Bettman the Plan B might be going to Russia for year if he can’t work out a deal in time for the season.

Admittedly we’re no sweet innocents in this fiasco. If anyone though that our first contract proposal was some bizarre psuedo-conspiracy concocted by Lou to force the league to come down on long-term deals, then this round of failed negotiations should prove once and for all that’s not the case. Let’s face it – there was no reason this deal should even have been close enough for the league to reject, especially since at this point we’re bidding against ourselves for Kovy.

Even Dean Lombardi in LA can’t get his grubby paws involved in driving up the price, since there’s no way in this climate the league even approves their rumored initial offer of 15-80, plus the fact he signed Alexei Ponikarovsky, further limiting the Kings’ cap space. Nobody else has been truly involved all summer so I admit, when I first heard the 13-91 rumor I was dissapointed. Is anyone else in the NHL even offering half of that?! Not with the apparent lack of interest in Kovy this summer.

As far as Kovy and Grossman, well you tried not once but twice to get your money…it’s time to face reality, it just isn’t going to happen in this country. Instead of hoping for some 12-96 deal that does get approved, it’s time to help the team out a little here. It was going to be hard enough to fit Kovy in under the first two deals.

Our first contract compensated Kovy well ($98.5 million in the first eleven years of the deal) and this one sounded more than fair too. We didn’t have to offer as much as we did the second time around but maybe there was a sense of Lou and Vanderbeek trying to do right by the player and not making him pay for the league’s tomfoolery. Well now there’s got to be some form of compromise by player and agent, if they truly want their client to play here and are committed to not hamstringing this team.

Until multiple people get their heads out of their rear ends here, the waiting game looks like it’ll continue right into camp which would be disasterous with a drop-dead date of October 1 (a week before the Devils’ opening game) where the Devils can’t be over the cap at all, and other players on the team – everyone knows who they are – still in limbo.

Ever root for a team even though you know deep down it won’t do any good? We’ve all experienced that in this space. Brian with his two Buffalo teams. Hasan with the Mets and Jets, who appear to be defying logic 101 with their best player. And of course, yours truly with the Knicks, Rangers and my alma mater St. John’s, who tries to bring in a big name coach in hopes of becoming relevant again in college hoops.

What does any of this have to do with the tired subject of the NHL defeating the Devils and Ilya Kovalchuk thanks to Richard Bloch’s cap defining decision? Just this. By disallowing the controversial 17-year, $102 million contract, it opened up a pandoras box. A whole new can of worms may have been created, allowing Gary Bettman and his cronies to further investigate similar mega deals that were already approved. But that shouldn’t stop a league hell bent on more chaos as we get closer to Armageddon II. In other words, beware Roberto Luongo, Chris Pronger, Marian Hossa and Marc Savard. Didn’t Hossa just win a Cup in his first year with Chicago? And Pronger was instrumental in getting the Flyers to the the Final.

Just imagine if Bettman Inc. does the predictable. What are they going to do? Erase history. Something like this is unprecedented. No other league would dare break contracts that already were signed off on. Of course, that won’t stop the NHL. Why would it? When has logic ever prevailed? To think that ’04-05 was sacrificed so they could get their precious cap. As it turns out, it wasn’t good enough. GM’s found a way around it by locking up star players long-term. Fittingly, the chaos started thanks to Charles Wang, who inked Rick DiPietro to a then record 15 year, $67.5 million back in ’06. That it would be an unorthodox owner who obviously didn’t realize the tremendous risk he took in signing the No.1 goalie until the age of 40, speaks to another issue. One which was supposed to go away due to the lockout. Owners were supposed to be fiscally responsible. But here you had the uncanny Islander owner going over the top for a goalie who’d never even won a playoff series. Since, it’s been one catastrophe after another with the franchise netminder suffering injury after injury, sidelining him for long stretches.

What’s even sadder is that under Wang’s leadership if you could call it that, this is the same organization that’s still paying Alexei Yashin for the nonsensical 10-year $87.5 million albatross pre-lockout. Hard to comprehend two of the worst contracts coming from a team whose hands are tied, just treading water at the bottom of the cap. While it’s easy to look at Glen Sather for many NHL/Ranger fan headaches, it was actually Wang calling the shots over Mike Milbury, which changed organizational philosophy in the Cap Era. Now, such mega contracts are common as more and more teams lock up players before the rules change.

Detroit’s done it with both Johan Franzen and Henrik Zetterberg. The Flyers also with star captain Mike Richards. The penny pinching Sabres with Thomas Vanek with an assist from Kevin Lowe. At least Darcy Regier got it right with Vezina winner Ryan Miller. Not so much with Jason Pominville. The rating Cup champion Blackhawks have cornerstones Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane and Duncan Keith tied away along with Hossa, who will be over 40 by the end of his deal. However, other players like Brian Campbell, Dave Bolland and Cristobal Huet forced Stan Bowman to trade away key pieces Dustin Byfuglien, Kris Versteeg, Ben Eager while letting Antti Niemi and Adam Burish go. That’s what the cost of winning has become in a constantly revolving league where more and more players are changing jerseys.

If it’s true that there was technically nothing wrong with the Kovalchuk contract under the current CBA, then it’s also true that the NHL should be concerned about what these deals are doing. We maybe against the league in this particular fight but they are justified in wanting to make adjustments for the future. Problem is they can’t do it now. Dragging more players into this mess would do an incredible disservice for a sport that’s coming off an exciting Cup where a major market won for the first time in half a century. Ratings were up and popularity was as well. The game doesn’t need another post ’94 when it was also hot before they locked out the players. How many times does a disorganized NHLPA take it on the chin? The players are the product and want to play.

When it starts up again sooner than you think, the focus needs to be on hockey. Not the current nonsense. It’s called good PR. Like a classic Run DMC hit, time for the NHL to check itself before it wrecks itself.

Dear NHL Schedule-maker,

You have a great job in this world, given the bad economy and all. You have the opportunity to schedule NHL games for all of the NHL teams, probably somewhere in a nice cool office, a leather chair, and a nice computer. And you probably take a 2 hour lunch as well, Life is good.

Having said this, I have always had my suspicions about your motives. Over the years, I was met with skepticism from some other hockey fans as I suggested you were out to get the Buffalo Sabres based on the scheduling of their games. I sat in wonderment about the blocks of 3 games in 4 nights, and such. And I thought to myself ‘Whomever is making this schedule, are ‘they’ out to get the Sabres?’

I am sure you thought you could continue on with your ways and mask the truth. But now, thanks to the great work by those from www.ontheforecheck.com, ‘you’ cannot hide any longer, as this site provides data available to show the amount of times a NHL team faces a team on a back-t0-back night, and when the team themselves has a back-t0-back games scheduled.

And guess what team has the most back-to-back games scheduled and tied for the worst balance with Atlanta?

Take a look for yourself!

http://www.ontheforecheck.com/2010/8/9/1613353/nhl-schedule-feeds-some-teams

An astonishing 22 times the Buffalo Sabres play back-to-back nights! And here I thought I was imagining things. Thanks for confirming that you are out to get us, whomever ‘you’ are.

Now if only I can show this link to Buffalo Sabres GM Darcy Regier to show the importance of a solid backup goaltender and stop his love affair with Patrick Lalime, then maybe we are getting somewhere.

Signed,

Bitter Sabres Fan Till The End

Summer Sabres Shots:

I understand that the Buffalo Sabres want to save money, but a $333,333 buyout over the next two seasons for Tim Kennedy, a scrappy player who is from South Buffalo and loved playing for the Sabres? What a message to send to the team. Has Buffalo Bills owner Ralph Wilson taken over the Sabres Front Office?

While Gary Bettman and his cronies are out to get the likes of the New Jersey Devils for circumventing the system they agreed to when signing Ilya Kovalchuk, can Darth Bettman investigate why Regier gave Tim Connolly all that cash and reject his contract as well? Just saying…

This has been the ‘Summer Of Status Quo’ for the Buffalo Sabres which has frustrated much of the fan base, but it would not be fair not to give Regier kudos for the signing of defenseman Shaone Morrisonn to a 2 year contract, who adds much needed size and shot blocking ability to the blueline. Plus, it will be fun to see how many times Sabres beat writers misspell his name.

I know what some of you are thinking: You see the picture above and you are thinking to yourself ‘Can this Sabres fan just stop whining about the massive injustice from the 1999 Stanley Cup Finals?’ Ok, trust me here, this isn’t about that fateful night that still sticks in the minds of the most passionate Sabres fan.

OK, so what in the world does this picture have to do with the Ilya Kovalchuk contract situation?

If you look close, perhaps more then you might realize.

Let’s go into the time travel machine back into the 1990’s shall we? Plenty of goals were reviewed and reversed, some calls I am sure are still considered controversial (Bill Guerin’s reversal as a member of the Devils against the Rangers in the 1997 NHL Playoffs come to mind right away), so the reviews were not perfect.

Then Game 6 of the 1999 Stanley Cup Finals arrived with a vengeance, and the powers that be in the NHL asylum were shaken to their knees, after blowing the call and potentially costing the Sabres a shot at Lord’s Stanley. So what did the ‘great minds’ at the NHL do? Well, they had a knee jerk reaction of course! About 48 hours after No Goal, it amazed me that Bettman and Co were able to change the crease rule so fast based off of 1 really bad judgment.

If only the NHL acted so swiftly and diligent to get other rules changed for the betterment of the game, imagine the possibilities.

Again, are you asking yourself what does this have to do with the Ilya Kovalchuk ruling today? Stay with me, if you have not fallen asleep yet!

The average length of an NHL players career was studied and analyzed by the following website:

http://www.quanthockey.com/Distributions/CareerLengthSeasons.php

The basics? The average length of a career for a forward is 5.52 seasons, which if you are not paying attention, can flash before you and go before you know it. And since the new CBA has been in existence, the NHL teams have begun to offer lengthy NHL contracts. Shall we show a sample of just two?

Henrik Zetterberg: 12 years, 40 at expiration
Marian Hossa: 12 years, 40 at expiration

Remember we discussed that the average length of an NHL player is just over 5 years? Every single one of these contracts is considered a major risk, and why is Kovalchuk’s any different? Oh wait, because the NHL does not like it, that is why! I wonder if Bettman’s beloved Pittsburgh Penguins gave Kovy this contract, and paired Ilya with Gary’s true love, Sidney Crosby, would the same knee jerk reaction be in play?

From this vantage point, I do not think so.

Did Devils GM Lou Lamoriello attempt to circumvent the salary cap for the betterment of his franchise? Of course he did, just like any great GM tries to do to help his team. Go look at the NFL and all the tricks the old San Francisco 49ers pulled while on their way to winning multiple Super Bowls. That is what great organizations do, but of course when the NHL feels like changing something but letting other obscene contacts like Marian Hossa stand, this is what happens.

And do not expect this to be the last knee jerk reaction from Darth Bettman, not by a long shot.

So now the top NHL Free Agent is a ‘free agent’ yet again, and we are creeping closer to Labor Day. What a surprise that the NHL has turned this into a circus.

And with a clown at the helm of the league, I expect more circus acts in the near future.

Sometimes, what’s buried deep in your mind can really play tricks on you. Ah. The essence of dreams. We all have them. Most of mine don’t make much sense but almost always seem to involve things/people I know. Hence, yesterday when I dreamt that the Rangers won the Stanley Cup.

Okay, I know what you’re thinking. How illogical and screwed up my head must’ve been. But let me preface by admitting earlier this week, I also had one where Ilya Kovalchuk scored off a faceoff from the left point, blasting a rocket in for the Devils. What does it mean? I’d rather not find out. While the prospect of the much debated Russian lingers until tomorrow, the actual deep thoughts that my team could ever win another Cup are as rational as Jim Dolan undermining Donnie Walsh, bringing back Isiah Thomas. This from the same owner who’s fascinated by Glen Sather.

That’s why we now refer to it as Mediocre Square. Home to mediocrity. Where bloggers such as Scotty Hockey know the deal. Just make the playoffs and it’s a success so that crook can boost revenue and rip off more fans. Perhaps that’s why I finally told my Dad to not renew my seat. Well, that and also saving money right now takes precedence over donating cash to an evil corporate stench who’ll never get it. As long as they got enough boosters who couldn’t tell the difference between a basketball and a puck, what does it matter?

Oh btw, something I knew for a while thanks to an “insider” who tipped me off before the Olympic Break. The Play by Play is no more. Gone as part of the beloved Renovation which is geared towards more of the higher ups. What? You really thought it was for us? Nothing about the future of MSG will benefit the diehards. So, savor these final years because if you think it costs a lot now, just wait until you’re priced out. That sound you hear is the circus clowns laughing uncontrollably.

So, what could I have been on to have actually believed that our team could win another Cup, ending the Curse of ’94? Yes. I already refer to it as that based on how far off they still are while an owner who had nothing to do with it still rides the coat tails of Leetch, Messier, Richter, Zubov, Beukeboom and Graves. Leetch before The Captain because it was No.2 who was No.1 that memorable summer. Only Dolan/Slats act as if Messier was the only reason we won. I’m appreciative of The Guarantee but don’t act like he did it alone. A guy by the name of Kovalev scored to swing the momentum and Leetch was instrumental along with Richy, who along with a goalpost kept them alive.

The harsh reality is that 1994 is a long time ago, even if I and other True Blue faithful wish otherwise because of what it meant. In another four years, it’ll be 20 years since that team won. And by then, do you think our franchise will have made any significant progress? With apologies to Derek Stepan, Chris Kreider, Evgeny Grachev, Dylan McIlrath, Ryan McDonagh and Tomas Kundratek, there just won’t be much belief as long as Sather is still employed.

Every time the senile old man talks up the future, another over the hill vet is brought in to take a roster spot away from a kid. Todd White?!?!?!?!?! Well, considering what they got at center, it’s explainable. But come on. Who does Mats Zuccarello Aasen get to play with? Or is the talented soon to be 23 year-old Norwegian, who turned heads at the Olympics, going to be blocked before he even gets a chance? You do the math.

C-Christensen, Anisimov, Drury, White, Boyle
LW-Frolov, Dubinsky, Prospal, Avery, Boogard
RW-Gaborik, Callahan, Prust

Fyi…isn’t it a bit odd how the official New York Rangers site fails to list Frolov up front but includes White? Wasn’t the enigmatic yet gifted Russian their best addition? Never mind. Why mess with logic? Especially from a GM who again treated complete strangers better than his own. Even a two bit scrub like Boogard who does one thing well gets the royal treatment while our most important player Marc Staal remains in limbo probably till preseason. How would you feel if you were Henrik Lundqvist?

At least in the dream, even though I wasn’t in the building, I was genuinely excited/surprised to see the Rangers win the Cup. Of course, I don’t know who they beat, which probably explains why it was just my brain teasing me much like the club I root for. If only it were true.