9 replies to this topic

[THE Mighty Duck Man 84]

[ESPN LINK]

NEW YORK -- The NHL board of governors will meet Friday to rubber-stamp their approval of the new collective bargaining agreement with the players' association, hold the Sidney Crosby sweepstakes, and discuss rule changes they hope will liven up the game.

more confirmation is good news ... i know this is going through, but i just like the reassurance

[ahtikullervo]

Can not wait any longer...

[PortBeach13]

I'll be glad when this thing is over with

[SacredCow]

The NHLPA press conference should be in around 48 hours and the NHL press conference, including the results of the draft lottery, should be in about 72 hours! I can't wait for Saturday morning for this to all be over with and for us to have a legitimate schedule to write onto our calendars!

[MrsBevo]

What is one more day when we've been waiting so long already? I agree with you, though; I can hardly wait until Saturday and this is all settled.

[DropThePuck]

Vancouver Canucks forward Matt Cooke said Tuesday he is anxious to hear the details of the deal, but already knows which way he's voting: Yes.

"I'm anxious to hear everything, but I'm just as anxious to get back playing," said Cooke, a restricted free agent. "I'm not too worried how things are going to go in the vote. I put my full trust in the executive. They've put in a lot of time and effort and now is not the time to second guess. It's time to get back playing. Sure, I'm curious how the deal will affect me and the whole, but really it's just a formality as far as I'm concerned."

St. Louis Blues defenceman Chris Pronger shares Cooke's opinion.

"It'll get ratified -- we've come this far," said the restricted free agent. "People are jumping the gun to be speculating on what the deal does or doesn't look like. I'm sure there'll be parts some guys like and parts some guys don't. At the end of the day you have to trust the executive."

That said, don't expect today's meetings to be short. There will be a lot of players with a lot on their minds.

"This is the time for questions," said Shanahan. "There will be a lot of difficult questions asked and this will be the time to get them all out. After that, it's time to move forward."

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[MrsBevo]

"I'm sure there'll be parts some guys like and parts some guys don't. At the end of the day you have to trust the executive."

Trust the executive?! Yeah. Look at where that got you for the past year.

[DropThePuck]

The NHLPA kicked off the day with a player rep meeting that ran from noon EDT to 5 p.m. EDT. The full players' meeting, with about 230 players on hand, got underway at about 6:20 p.m. EDT and was expected to go late into the night. The meeting resumes Thursday around 8:30 a.m. EDT before a ratification vote is finally taken at the end of the session. A news conference with Goodenow and NHL commissioner Gary Bettman is scheduled for 5 p.m. EDT Thursday following the players' vote.
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Peca also feels players should keep their criticism in-house.

"It's just sad, to me, seeing guys point the finger," he said. "We're proud to be hockey players. When you're in the locker-room and things aren't going well, you don't want to be the guy to point the finger. Guys should just save their opinions for the people that they're upset with and try to understand this better."

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[DropThePuck]

Agents predicted that players will ratify it. "I think we're going to be able to maneuver within it," one prominent agent said. "I'm not going to miss any meals."

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[DropThePuck]

"I can't see it not passing," Mighty Ducks captain Steve Rucchin said Tuesday from London, Ontario. "Too much work has been done, by everyone, for it not to pass. There are going to be some players who are bitter with some of the things we gave up, but I think the majority is going to want to put it in the past and get on with the season.

"I do believe it's time to move forward. I think the fight is over. It's time for the two sides to get together and start working together."

"There are some things that some players might not agree with, but there are some other good things, as well," Rucchin said. "I can't personally say I agree with everything in the deal, but that's the way the negotiating process works. I back Bob and our executive committee. This is a deal they got done, so I stand behind them."

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