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Long Time Listener, First Time Caller
by Paul on 01/24/08 at 06:39 PM ET
Comments (7)
from the CP,
All was warm and friendly as NHL commissioner Gary Bettman interviewed NHL Players Association executive director Paul Kelly on his weekly radio show on Thursday.
“Paul has been really good to deal with,” Bettman said after the 15-minute interview ended on the NHL Hour show on XM Radio from New York.
The two men represent opposing sides in a league that had the entire 2004-05 season wiped out by a lockout, but Kelly is the new man, taking over three months ago after the house-cleaning that swept former boss Ted Saskin out of the NHLPA.
added 6:45pm, from Bob McKenzie of TSN,
NHLPA executive director Paul Kelly surprised some earlier this season when he suggested the players would be in favor of adding a couple of games to the NHL regular season, to make it 84 instead of 82.
Sources say the NHL board of governors will get its chance to vote on that concept this weekend in Atlanta at the NHL All-Star Game.
The governors have previously been lukewarm or even opposed to bumping up the schedule to 84 games, but that proposal was often in the context of going to the Detroit Red Wing-sponsored schedule matrix, where there would be a home-and-home (30 games) series with all teams in the opposite conference.
Filed in: NHL Talk, NHLPA | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Gary+Bettman, Paul+Kelly,
Comments
What about Stan Fischler and those who said Chelios and Lindros would hijack the union, fight with Bettman and create another lockout?
Posted by w2j2 on 01/24/08 at 07:20 PM ET
SYF, the players want an 84 game schedule and some teams do to.
If the BOG approves it, there is still a question if it would be for next season of the following year.
Posted by Paul from Motown Area on 01/24/08 at 07:23 PM ET
I think the selling point in the 84 game schedule is the limit on pre-season games. If the players are going to play a lot of games, then more of them may as well count for something. No one likes a long pre-season.
Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 01/24/08 at 08:12 PM ET
I’m having a bit of a trouble trying to find Bob McKenzie’s article back in November of 2007 when this was first brought up:
1) six games each against the Divison teams (24)
2) home-and-home series with each team from the other conference (30)
3) three games each against the rest of the conference teams (30)
There’s your Wings-sponsored 84-game schedule with a limited number of pre-season games. The Wings, however, I believe preferred four pre-season games maximum. I think if they can do without pre-season games altogether, they’d go for it.
Posted by SYF from Las Vegas, NV on 01/24/08 at 11:12 PM ET
Never mind; I’ve found it.
http://tsn.ca/blogs/?id=221969
Per McKenzie:
Mind you, the Red Wing concept, outside of the increase to 84 games, makes a great deal of sense. It looked like this:
* six games vs. each of four divisional opponents (24)
* three games vs. each of 10 conference opponents (30)
* two games vs. each of 15 out of conference opponents (30)
The only thing not to like about is the increase to 84 games. But it’s clean and simple. Good emphasis on divisional play, moderate emphasis on conference play and it provides the home-and-home with the other conference.
Posted by SYF from Las Vegas, NV on 01/24/08 at 11:55 PM ET
Wait just a damn minute here:
They changed the schedule during the lockout because their current schedule was not working out.
Now 3 years later they regress to the former schedule and claim that is a fix. Give me a break, along with all the other hockey fans.
The 84 game schedule is the solution.
Posted by HockeyTownTodd from upset when blogs don’t live up to my expectations on 01/25/08 at 04:03 PM ET
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Well, they’ve already approved the new schedule which is (I think this is the setup...unless someone out there can correct me):
1) six games each against the Division rivals (24)
2) one game each against all non-conference teams (15)
3) four games each against ten conference teams (40)
4) three so-called “wildcard” games against anyone - conference or non-conference (3)
All that for a total of 82 games.
Again, if someone wants to correct me on that, you’re welcome to do so.
Posted by SYF from Las Vegas, NV on 01/24/08 at 06:53 PM ET