A Shark's midlife crysis

Twenty four games in.

Eleven wins

Thirteen losses

(barely)Negative goal differential

Middle of the Western Conference standings.

Sounds like anybody you know?

It is the middle of the shortened season. It is the "start" of the final push. It is the beginning of the battle for playoffs relevance, a battle to prove your self worth, a battle to climb out of mediocrity, a battle to rediscover yourself.

I have talked, previously, about core issues with this team. I have talked about possible solutions to their problems. I have talked about the importance of the homestand about to start at the time. At a glance, the Sharks did good on their end . They won two out of the three games of that particular homestand and managed to get a point in the other game. So far so good? Not so fast.

Two of the games went to the shootout. They won only one of them.  

Then they went to Vancouver, another shootout, but they managed to win it.

Then they got spanked by a Calagry team that is in the last place in the west, currently, then two losses in OT.

Well yea, the optimist will say, but they got points .

That is true.

But there is an alarming trend :

24 games played, 10 of them were not decided in regulation and went to OT and 7 of those went to shootouts. Yes they are 4-3 in the shootout this season which is ... a decent record some would say.

But let's look at the big picture:

As near as it makes little difference, the Sharks could not beat their counterparts in regulation in almost half of the games so far. What is worse, they lost all three games that didn't go to the shootout.

What is it with this team? Sure sure, I know they have problems scoring and ultimately this is the reason for this debacle  ... but aren't they scoring?
We talked about the "new" system, we talked about the lack of heart ( and balls), we talked about the lack of depth, we talked about the team culture, we talked about a coach losing his "voice" , so on and so forth.
But what goes beyond that, if anything?
Midlife crysis.
Every man finds himself, at some point in life, in a void. He has had his job/career for a number of years, possibly been successful at it in some shape or form, he quite possibly has a family and kids and he provided for them as best he can. Now the kids are in college or in their own jobs , or married, either way, mostly on their own. The job is monotonous , the co-workers are annoying, there really isn't much room to grow and the youngsters are taking over the office forcing toe man to become more guarded take less chances, play it safe. The wife is off with her gal pals doing some book club or Yoga or some ridiculous diet, and the man finds himself alone with his aches and pains. Suddenly , in that loneliness, his own mortality starts striking him. Then the man makes changes.
This is where the Sharks are.
The core of the team and of the organization has been around for a long time, they  have had some measure of success. But now they are older, things are stale, they can't find their identity, they are scared of taking chances, they are afraid to lose  but not willing to risk much for a win. Younger faster teams are brazen and in their faces, the coach is off in lala land doing things that have little effect.
There must be changes.
Will the Sharks go off and buy a fancy new sports car (trade for a shinny name) to impress the young girls ( fans)?
Will the Sharks clean up the back yard (secondary lines) only to wonder why the front yard is still wilted and dying?
Will the Sharks pick up some ridiculous hobby that will only drain their bank account ( switchback to the "old systems" only to allow more goals)?
Will the Sharks stop caring all together, mail the rest of the season in and go play golf with buddies ( self-explanatory)?
Or will the Sharks decide to stop moping about , fix the creaky door, plant new trees in the front yard, fix the leaky roof, upgrade the kitchen and go to the office, check themselves for manhood and start smacking around the dumb young puppies who are nipping at their heels and get those promotions and bonuses those little twerps took from them so far.
The time for changes is close.
What will they do?

The taming of the Shark

I did not keep my word.
I have failed to write anything in months. I wanted to but something kept me away.
First it was the anger of the, then, never ending lockout. Later it was the thrill of the return of NHL hockey. Then it was the astonishment created by the Sharks' fast start and a little later the disappointment of the unexplained struggles.
NHL hockey has returned to us: fast, loud, thumping, exciting. It is all we remembered and more. There are a ton of surprises. The Ducks were not supposed to be this good, Habs and Leafs were supposed to blow, Oilers were supposed to be better, Caps were supposed to rebound
And the Sharks were supposed to  ...
Well it is hard to tell what the Sharks were supposed to do. After the disappointment of last season many expected the coach to be let go an/or major changes to be made in the lineup. Some even whispered about the GM losing his job. Somehow, none of it happened. Doug Wilson is still in his high chair, he confirmed Todd Mclellan for  another year, and the annual bottom lines shakeup has occurred. The two "major" events of the post-season: Hiring Larry Robinson as AC and bringing "back" an aging, by some standards, Brad Stuart. The rest? Some people have been let go, some other people have been brought in ... and, of course, another annual event for the Sharks: the yearly Doug Wilson reclamation project: Scott Gomez.
All good then, on paper this was looking to shape up like an improvement over last year's .. debacle .. for lack of a better word.
And the Sharks started like a possessed team. The first four games in particular  were  of the "bash your opponent" nature. They were dominating all areas of the ice, they were scoring in any situation, they seemed fast and very compact. Then came the overtimes and shootouts. Sharks kept winning. Fans and media were talking about a Sharks team that can roll through anything the game throws at them. But to the more astute viewers, something was wrong. Then the scoring problems and losing started, culminating, last night, with a rather embarrassing loss to a Dallas team that, recently, has had a hard time keeping the puck out of their own net.
So, how is this possible? After that fast start, how can it be that this team has reached such levels of scoring impotence?
Well, there are various factors at play. First, those with some sense knew the season will start with all sorts of oddities. no training camp, not pre-season games, everybody will be in "tune-up" mode when the season got on the way. the Sharks were among the teams with quite a few "active" players during the lockout, either abroad or in North America's minor leagues. Some of the players who did not play got needed recovery/rest time. It worked wonders .. for a while. The the other teams started getting in "game shape", started finding out who they were, and they started pushing back against the Sharks.
No problem, the Sharks needed only to adapt and work harder. Unfortunately, it is not happening.
There are several problems at play:

• The Sharks are getting older. Several years ago, Doug Wilson was preaching size, speed and youth. And the Sharks were big, young and relatively fast. Over time, adjustments were "required" to get them over the hill and into the idyllic garden of Lord Stanley's Cup. And slowly the youth and speed has been traded away. What the powers at be call "the core" got older. Draft picks were being handed in exchange for "experience and leadership" and the remaining picks did not exactly bring much of note into the farm. The result: a team that, man for man, cannot keep up with what seem to be today's good teams. No problem, that can be rectified through game speed, like the Wings ( a team Doug Wilson tried to emulate for a while) have done for years. Yea but:
• The Sharks have become predictable. For the most part, the system put in place by Todd Mclellan has worked, initially. But everybody knows it now. Sure there were changes and small variations but the core of it is still as it was 5 yrs ago. The Coach has tried to change things but got scared when it didn't work and went back to his small bag of known tricks. Another problem with the system is that, it seems, all four lines have to play the same. Now that makes things consistent across the board and allows for the musical chairs game with the on-ice personnel to be done without many surprises .. or so it would seem. But it is not so. Because, it would seem, the system, offensively at least, is tailored around the likes of Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau. now, while the Sharks have players like Couture or Pavelski that can fit well in that system, the majority of the offensive core simply cannot. they can try, and even succeed for short periods of time and at far lesser levels but the truth is painfully obvious to all with a keen eye and a few working neurons, it simply doesn't work. And it makes you predictable. And it shortchanges, no, ignores particular sets of talents other players have. More on this later.
• Farm, well there really isn't one. The Sharks farm is, currently, a feeder for bottom lines. there simply are NO prospects projected to blossom into a top 2-3 D-man or a viable top 6 offensive player, currently playing in Worchester. Most teams have a hope or two in their farm systems, whom they bring up once in a while for a short taste at the sweetness of the big boys game, the Sharks have NONE. Doug Wilson tactics have left the cupboard quite bare. There was/is some hope in the goaltending department but while there is talent, I am not so sure about the coaching their are getting. And there is the problem of the scouting staff and tactics: in my humble opinion is completely inadequate. One , very sore, point to be made: in the recent years, they have, almost entirely, ignored skating. I am sorry but what is one of the main requisites for hockey? And look what players have long careers in NHL: those who can skate.  
• Team culture: much has been said among fans and some media, about the team culture in SJ. Easy going, family friendly, country club atmosphere. It is all true. I am not going to waste a lot of time on this, even though it is , probably , one of the main reasons this team has not won a cup during those years of excellence in the regular season and one of the main reasons they are faltering now, but I will give you an example that sums up all that has been said about this team's "philosophy". Some games ago, the Sharks lost to the Coyotes. in a post-game interview, the Captain, Joe Thornton, made a startling statement : he said he thought they played a good game, and that he is COMFORTABLE with the way they are playing. They have won one out of six games since, against a tired St Louis team featuring their third string goalie. Comfortable!

So how do you fix this?
There are, currently , a few trains of thought in this area:

• The bottom six are not producing, must make changes . Well they just made changes last summer, and the summer before, and the one before that, and the one before that. No matter what they did , the bottom six simply failed to make notable contribution to scoring. Sure the current crop doesn't sounds very impressive but other teams have the same problem and they still make it work, more or less but definitely more than the Sharks. Maybe the problem is not just the on ice personnel, but it is also in the game they are asked to play. And we go back to the system implemented by the coach, a system that takes away from players' strengths and sacrifices their talents on the altar of the system. sure bringing new faces in might have positive results for a while, it had in the past, but it never lasted
• Trade for a top 4 winger who can score. This once rings true more than it is obvious. The Sharks have a bevy of Centers but no natural scoring wingers. an no, Clowe is not a natural scoring winger. All their centers can score, but none is a bonafide sniper. The Sharks tried with Heatley for a while but he was one man and got slowed down by his skating , injuries and natural decline ... and I often felt .. well .. the system. The Sharks basically moved Heatley for Havlat but, while he is a winger and can score, he is more of a chance maker. He opens space not just for himself but for others, he is fairly strong with the puck and very crafty with it. But he is not the type of scorer we are talking about here. Not to mention that, after being tossed around the bottom lines for reasons known only to the coach, he seems now lost and unsure of what his place on the ice is. So yes this "solution" could help improve the Sharks ... but is it enough?
• Fire the Coach. I have never been that impressed with Todd Mclellan. Yes he took the Sharks to consecutive WC Finals but he inherited a dominant team that , at the time of his hiring, also got a much needed boost on both D an O so naturally it was a better team than Ron Wilson had the previous year. I am not trying to knock down Todd Mclellan's achievements with this team but the fact is , since those trips to WCF, the team has gotten progressively worse and while many put the blame on players, Management etc, clearly a measure of fault needs to be put on the head coach himself. In the past couple of years, the on-ice personnel has changed, save for the core. They changed goalies, defenders, offense .. to no avail. Also , the past few years, The assistant coaches have been swapped to the point that only J. Woodcroft is left from the "original" crew of assistants. Whose turn is it now?
• Don't move a finger. Stay put, let them work it out and figure it out for themselves. this team has a fairly solid core perfectly capable of getting themselves to brighter days. They have had a few sparks here and there in the last three games that would indicate something is moving in the right direction so there is a chance things will return to "normal". More effort on the part of the players, a few tweaks from the coaches and they might start winning again, and probably be consistent about it. There are a few bright spots: the goaltending of Niemi has been better than we've seen from him in the past (it still is not satisfactory for this grouchy "writer" and probably will never be unless he magically drags this team to a finals appearance, which I find extremely unlikely because, in my not so humble opinion he lacks a good number of qualities I find necessary for a goalie to be called "elite" in today's NHL), but save for a number of soft goals and flops and thuds that earned him the nickname, "sloth" among fans, he has been done a good enough job to enable his team to win on most nights.

Now, one has to wonder, is any of the above "solutions", individually, a viable one that will put the Sharks back into the top teams in the league, back into the "Cup Contender" category? Given the problems I listed, I tend to say : no.
Yes , each "solution" listed can make a difference on its own and help the Sharks regain some measure of pride and points but I have a sneaking suspicion none of them, individually will fully straighten the ship, because nonce of them will cover enough of the problems listed.
Ultimately it will the GM's decision, and the history say , he will make a couple of trades and hope for the best.
However
This blog entry would not be complete without my own personal outrageous and idiotic solution to save the world .. I mean the Sharks:
Give them this following homestand. do not touch anything for a week more see if there is anything to the few bright moments they have had in the last few games. If they can't pull themselves out, fire the coach, bring in a new one with some pedigree (Ruff is available wink wink) or try to pry John Hynes ( a guy I like and who I think could make a good NHL coach) from the baby Pens, and give him the rest of the season to see what he has to work with. then, in the summer, make the tough decisions.
If they manage to right the ship a little bit, get a couple of wins out of the three games they have at home, then  make a couple of tweaks and let them play the rest of the season out. Then, based on the results at the end of the season, make the tough decisions.
Of course, there is the third option. Fire the GM, let him bring his coach, trade away the old core, fix the drafting and development at the farm ( another thing that sorely lacks behind other organizations) and start the long and painful process of rebuilding. I am fine with that. In any case, this team will never win a Cup with the current lineup, coach and culture, baring a miracle, ofcourse.

Bash Away

PS, I was going to put in individual performances from the main names in the line-up but the team's record sort is sort of self-explanatory. They mostly sucked, almost to a man.

It's not my lockout but I’ll cry if I want to.

But I won't

Sept 15 came and went ... kinda like my birthday: nothing exciting to report about either.

NHL locked out it's players and the fans, NHLPA went crying to their mommies and since then they have not found the time to do any negotiations because Bettman and his trusty law firm representing the NHL are too busy celebrating Jewish New Year. Now do not get me wrong , I respect holidays ... but I do believe Bettman has a few more important things to deal with. Especially since he's paid more than 99% of the hockey players and it's fans to do so.

These “shows of force” are silly, embarrassing and, frankly, boring. Bettman and the lawyers take a holiday, players star signing contracts overseas, but none of them really want to do what they are doing. So then … why do it anyway?

We have seen this dance in NHL before, we have seen it very recently in other sports as well. In the end, unfortunately ( for some) the owners won those battles and the players were forced to accept horrible terms that in the case of NBA and NFL, limited their share of revenues to 50% of everything .. and accept the fact that the number of potential multimillion per year they can make were restricted by a few percents …while the owners had to accept to split a tad smaller amount of billions among the few of them. I really feel bad for all of them ..

Now, admittedly , the NHL is nowhere near the level of revenue NBA and NFL can claim, however it has grown quite a bit since the last lockout and the evidence is everywhere we look. Take the “beloved”Commish .. whose salary doubled since 04-05. Which is kinda weird. 'Cause the owners claim the old CBA is killing them yet somehow they found it good enough to overpay Bettman more than they overpay their players. And it seems like they don't hold back when it comes to dishing out outrageous money to those poor players either. I don't want to get into details but we all know how it started : first life-long contracts, then outrageous life-long contracts. Then outrageous life long contracts with guaranteed signing bonuses so high the players with those contracts would need an elevator to get to the top of those huge piles of cash they were awarded for just being better than others.

What gives then, oh wise owners of NHL hockey teams? Why do you want to rip off the players for more money than you should when you could fix your problems by just fixing your internal revenue share? Yea we do know that some of you make money hand over fist and some of your are losing .. so why can';t the “rich” in your group can share more with the poor? Oh .. because the rich do not want to give away their riches? Color me surprised. And to the owners that lose money: stop crying about losing the money .. you knew when you bought the respective treams there is a very good chance it will not be a very profitable investment because it was not profitable to the guy before and the guy before him and so on. I was once told that buying an NHL franchise is not a business decision, it is a heart decision. People looking to buy failing NHL franchises do no do it to get rich ... they already ARE rich... they do it because of the love for the game (or at least they should)

So why cry about it then? You don't like the situation? Learn that your “brothers” in the league will not help you and decide if you want to stick with it and find a way to win and make your team profitable or lose less ... or just pull out. The moral for ( most of) the owners : you knew what you got into.. stop bitching.

But then there are the players.. whom I usually tend to side with in these kind of things. But not 100% .. especially after a discussion I had with my son over the weekend.

See.. I have a 7 yr old .. cute as a bug and quite smart( and sneaky). He likes going to games .. mostly ( although the damn goal horn at the tank is scaring him .. still) so he asked me when does the new season start .When I told him there might not be a season he wanted to know why. So I did the best I could to explain the basics of the NHL business. \I think he got it because he did mention why don't the owners help each other but he also said something else. First he asked if the players make a lot of money and I explained to him the worst paid NHL players makes a few times more than his dad. To which he replied :” but how can they do that when when all they do is play a game and have fun? You have to work many hours every day, sometimes nights and weekends and all they do is play two three times every week”. To which I explained that there are practices and gym and so on , but he was not convinced. Then I went on and explained about the thousands of hours the players had to sacrifice in their youth to get where they are right now but he wasn't having any of it: “they are having fun.. how can you make so much money just having fun? “ And that he added: “didn't you have to go to college and pay lots of money to learn what you are doing?” Aaaand that is when I was left without an answer. Because the truth is, even in a”fringe” sport like hockey, these days, bottom players make more money than pretty much anybody on the team that designed and put Curiosity on Mars, for example, or surgeons, or firemen … or me. They sacrificed? What .. the rest of us didn't? They deserve it because they are among the best at what they are doing? What, the Curiosity crew isn't?

Perspective is a beoatch.

Stop the nonsense, NHL and NHLPA .. everybody knows the owners will get most of what they want .. so just drop the “tough” act, stop the PR war, be real with your expectations and find that common ground before yet another season gets wasted. I want to watch Selanne on NHL ice one more time, I want to swee what Jagr can do in Dallas, I want to see all these young kids just itching for a chance .. I want the best hockey in the world to fill my life .. because if I don't .. I will move on. The internet is a wonderful medium … you can find streams from many leagues around the world and SEL , KHL and SM-Liiga are quite exciting .. even the Swiss are getting better. Minor league hockey is also better than ever at all levels and, really, watching doing their best is , in many ways much more entertaining than some of the product you put on ice, NHL.

You are still the best league in the world .. but your pathetic bickering about money is sickening many hardcore fans .. and we all know the causal fans are not your bread and butter... .. fi you start losing fans like me .. who love hockey first and foremost .. then you will fail as a league .. and frankly .. if what is to follow is more of the same player overpayment, softening of the game, overcharging at the gate .. at some point the hardcore fan will look for other venues for their obsession ..

so stop the nonsense.

And fire Bettman … I do not buy into the “Bettman just mirrors the owners wishes” .The mindless monkeys in the blogosphere and media who claim that know nothing about his influence and his role in the whole mess. He really needs to go … for this and reasons I might bring up in a next blog.

(courtesy of NHL's best memes on Facebook)

PS as usual comments are welcome ... 

and I had a few beers while writing this so if you insist on complaining about my spelling or grammar, keep that in mind.

The wonderful circles of life … in goal

As promised, today I am going to reply to Pam's questions the best I can.

First, it must be understood that some of my information might be out of date slightly. Life is trying really hard to rip me apart from the object of my undying love : goaltending. I am not as up to date with trends, rising stars etc, as I once have been but I do have a somewhat working knowledge of the world in the crease, past what the regular fan sees in the NHL.

With that in mind: let's get to work.

What country has the best up and coming goalies … About 5 of them :)

Not a straight answer , right?

That's because it is not so easy. Short term, there are a couple of great prospects from Finland, Sweden and Canada but there's a ton of potential in a few US kids as well as some bad arse Ruskies.

Looking strictly at raw numbers Canada has the most up and coming kids however the top cream of the crop from Canada is a bit out-staged by the Scandinavian kids. To get a better feeling about what is going on we have to take a look at a bit of history:

There was a time when , if you wanted a goalie, you only had to look at the swarm of schools in Quebec and just pick your poison. Other than that you had a few other sources in Europe, mainly Russia, and a couple of US schools. Back then ( 80's 90's) Canadian goalies dominated the league to the tune of 70% or so.

In the last decade however, that percentage dropped dramatically, the reason being : Finland. Sometime in the mid-late 80's they decided they needed a standardization of the goalie coaching, among other things. As I understand, every goalie coach/school had to pass a sort of “exam” with very well established criteria. It meant that for every level , coaches had an established list of items to adhere to, which mean that every kid, got the same sort of coaching weather he was playing in Turcu or Tampere. That also meant that coaches who got new kids had a pretty solid idea of what the kid was taught already. And that was very solid fundamentals. Another thing they did was implement that system at a very young age (7-8) and they made it mandatory , at “pro” levels, that each goalie had to have a goalie coach.

Another thing the Fins did was stay relatively close to the NHL game. While other countries worked hard to get their own “identity” , it seemed like the Fins wanted to copy the game in North America but with some touches of their own. Like , when the whole NHL went exclusively almost to standard B-fly, the Fins did exactly the same but while in Canada, they allowed the kids to be a bit flamboyant and show their individuality, in Finland they were a lot more strict and urged the kids to always stick to the basics. They also adopted elements from Russia Czech republic etc. Long story short, what you see now is the result of about 30 some years of a continuous and rigorous evolution of the school of thought implemented in the late 80's. If people are interested in finding more about the Finnish school do a Google search for Jukka Ropponen, one of the finish innovators, he actually ran the Goalie coaching national program for a while. There are many articles with and about him and others related to him and the Finnish schools and he even has a website and a twitter page where he posts videos worth watching.

Anyway, sometime in the last 10-15 yrs the Sweeties liked what they saw in Finland and they started copying them and even hiring Fins who find themselves more than happy to go work for the Sweeties since in Finland they weren't exactly paid to do the coaching work.

However, the rest of the world took notice now.. including Canada and US and more and more, these days you see coaches at all levels, from all over Europe, Canada and US going to Finland, working with their system and learning from their people ( thought things like GoaliePro program) . Even coaches who work with NHL goalies ( like Korn, Heinz, Elkin , Janosz )have adopted the Finish system or part of it. Schools all over the world are altering their philosophies to catch up.

Bottom line is, in the long run , if Canada continues to be the country to with most registered active players they will have the most top end goalies. Because, while they fell behind in the goaltending department, they are working hard to catch up.

Boy I think I confused even myself. In that part.

Going to the up and coming NHL goalie coaches question, it's hard to tell. It depends on who wants to come up to this level. I know of many good coaches who will work with NHL goalies but only in summer camps or as consultants but they do not wish to become full time NHL coaches because they want to stick with bringing up new talent. The NHL job just isn't for everyone and that is why I think some of the best coaches never come up to this level. Working with eager kids with bright eys and open minds can be a lot more rewarding than catering to the needs of a spoiled millionaire star :) .. and that is exactly what I was told by someone who has worked in NHL shortly but went back to Europe to bring up the future spoiled stars because he believes that is what he is meant to do :).

So I could give you some names I heard are making the rounds, like Healey, Danielsson, McCaig , Welby ,Frantz and so on but while some have already been involved with NHL goalies , I have no idea if they even want to become full time NHL G coaches.

And on to the last question: will KHL growth and stability pull some of the players from NHL. Well, yes and no. KHL isn't really that stable to start with, they have major issues even with just the logistics of day to day operations, payrolls etc. However they are growing and they are and will attract player who can't find work in NHL or are willing to go there to revive their career and so on as we have seen in the past. And of course , there will be the odd crazy Russian who could be a good player in NHL but chooses to be a rock star in Russia. You know .. the big fish in the small pond syndrome.

But no, in the long run I do not see KHL threatening to steal the thunder from the NHL, and neither do I see any other European league doing so. The lure of the CUP and living/playing in North America is still very strong. Not to mention the payroll is better. Yes the Russians have thrown big money to a handful of former/present NHL stars but they can only do that in limited numbers and do not go ask some of those players how and when they got paid :). That doesn't mean they will ever stop trying to bring their Russian stars home … and maybe once in a while they will succeed but it won't be the norm and that would only affect a limited number of players in the NHL.

There are also the “agreements” between the leagues, the international rules and the Quota system implemented in most of the European leagues, where only a limited number of players coming from NHL or in some cases,“foreigners”in general are allowed to play. They simply do not want your spoiled North American cocky arses over there ruining their kids and their development :)

Juuust kidding.

Anybody still awake after reading this?If you are, since I am too lazy to proofread this thing please excuse my typos etc. 

I hope I did not confuse you too much but if I did .. get over it.

Let's all hold hands and sing Kumbaya ... a prayer to the powers of hockey

 

Look at that: I got a bunch of views and some of them are not even my own nor the ones I paid for either.

And what is that ... a comment … a NICE comment? Well of course it is .. 'cause it's from my dear friend Pam.

I also got a couple of direct emails asking questions and making suggestions and you will all get your answers soon. However, while I appreciate the emails, I would strongly suggest in the future go to the comments section .. let your hair down and go to bat with me in public .. I won't bite. . unless you want me to.

While Pam's questions are quite interesting, and I promise I will answer them in the next entry, today I want to focus on something else:

 The CBA negotiations.

Yes, I know, boring subject, everybody is covering it , not much to say about it that hasn't already been said in a thousand +1 places all over the interwebs and printed media ( well in Canada that is, cause in US there is no such thing as printed Hockey media in most places).

What does this CBA stand for? Collective Bargaining Agreement some would say.. right? Well … I think they got the “Collective” part covered , now with Fehr involving as many players as he can and the great Commish doing his thing with the owners club but …. umm where is the bargaining? They keep meeting for a coffee and scones and then they break off “negotiations” to run tell the “Collective” how there is no progress and the gulf between them is filled with rocks, nuclear submarines with death dealing torpedoes and Megalodons and there's no way on crossing it.

We have all been involved in “bargaining” one way or another. A Farmer's market, a fake Rolex vendor, a car dealer. It can be a lengthy process. Bargaining with the car dealer can take many consecutive hours and that is just ONE item to settle: the car price. These people have dozens of things to settle on yet they can't seem to sit at a table together longer than it takes some people to get a smoke break at the office. What exactly do they plan to accomplish in a coffee break? And why do they spend more time doing the silly PR war with the media than they do actually negotiating?

Today they met for 45 mins already..then they ran away to chat it out with the “collective”. There is no consensus on what has been discussed but I doubt they managed to hash out a lot more than what creamer is best to use on a bourbon toffee flavored coffee. The good news is they said they will be back to the negotiating table today .. probably just in time for the 5 o'clock tea and biscuits.

Shall we take a look at what people think at the major issues they can't agree on? If my understanding of the economics involved ( and I am horrible at it so if I am wrong please do point out to me where I am mistaken) is correct, one of the issues is something to do with who pays who for the money lost by the teams with financial problems .. more or less. Well .. my first question would be: why are there teams with financial problems? Is it that some cities can't sustain a hockey team, as some ancient alien theorist suggest? Well why are there teams in cities than can't sustain hockey, you ask? Because NHL expanded. And how did it expand? Well they voted on it .. who voted on it you ask? The existing owners.

AHA .. so there you are . This is who should pay for the teams that lose money: the teams who make money. Or do the sensible thing and cut the teams that lose money and cry for it. Problem solved .. next item on the agenda …

oh wait .. what is that .. owners still crying about cap being too high and salaries being exorbitant ? Well you wanted a cap , you set the amount, you set the annual increase limit on that cap .. what's the problem? And don't get me into the whole high salaries thing .. who gave away those contracts? Was it Jesus?

Other items in dispute are contract lengths, duration till UFA etc. I guess the owners are crying that they need more return for their “investment” in their draftees. I guess they have a point .. I mean think about all the investment that went into sucking balls for a year or two so that you get the best chance of winning the draft lottery and pick whoever the draft central considers the top graduate of that year's prospect class . Hard work I tell ya.

But .. how about that “prospect” who dreamed of being a Wing or a Ranger, or even a Shark .. only to be drafted by … the Islanders? Or the Oilers? I mean I am 18 yr' old , better than all other teenagers in the draft and I worked really hard at it and now you tell me I have to move to Edmonton out of all places, for the entire length of my effective youth? That is Alberta! What is there to do for a vibrant 18 yr old in that place?

And the list of issue goes on. It's a hard list, I do admit .. but ultimately, ladies and gentlemen, let's look at the facts: hockey has never been as popular in US and the world as it is now. The NHL as a league is growing, the players , well some of them anyway, are seeing more money than at any time ever in the history of the league. Why ruin it now with a lockout?

Well because we, the fans, proved we are suckers and will come back in drones making the owners and the players richer in the process while our pockets are getting emptier and ( now I am getting into another sore issues I have) the actual hockey product is getting worse ( but that is for another day).

Our great Commish put it publicly : we are the best fans in the world. And while it was a PR stunt .. he is right. We forgive and forget and they can afford to take smoke breaks instead of negotiation sessions. We close our eyes and hug them blindly, that is why they can screw around for a year of lockout. They have the time cause we give them our patience, they have the money cause.. well we gave them that, so for the most part neither owners nor players are really motivated to get anything done in time for the season.

Now some will say: how about the bottom end players, the ones that do not make a gazillion just to sign a piece of papers because their last name is Parise? Well I don't know how to put this but even they make enough to be able to save for rainy days plus they have the PA for which they payed monthly .. right? Trust me .. they will all survive.

And so will I .. I am a hockey fan first and foremost. And there is a lot of hockey around. AHL season will go on and you can go watch your local team if you have it or find web streams on top of whatever they will show on NHL network. There are also links, if you know where to look, with excellent European hockey ( SEL, KHL etc). In Canada they are covered for live hockey as well but even in US there's hockey to be seen live. For example San Francisco just got a brand new ECHL team: The Bulls (http://sfbulls.com/) . There's also college hockey and various other minor leagues. Great hockey everywhere you look.

What does that mean?

If the fools at the negotiating table don't get their panties straighten out, I will be sad the Sharks are locked out and I can't watch Marleau blinking wildly while shying away from contact but I will get my hockey fix one way or another.

So bring it on NHL and NHLPA .. lock yourself out .. I will be said but I won't cry.

Now I was suggested to end my blogs with some witty one-liner the way some bloggers do but I have a problem with that .. see Camelia Gore , the Sharks “blogger” for hockeybuzz ends his rants with something along the lines of “keep your stick on the ice”, Well I prefer to keep mine in my pants cause I am sure nobody wants to see it .. and no offense Cammer .. but the ice is damn cold .. not good for stick size.

Here's to hoping they find common ground and the season is saved .. 

CIAO

The Day Has Come

The End Is Nigh

 I have always maintained I am not going to do this because I would be horrible at it. I do not have the patience, the writing skills or even enough grasp on the basics of English grammar, to write a blog. 

However due to immense peer pressure (3 people asked) and the newly discovered secret desire to become a world renowned blogger like TheNeutral @fearthefin, since it's such a pimp life to be one, and since I needed a new hobby, I broke my word and ... well, here we are.

Anyway, what to expect out of this thing:

• As those who know me (and probably the only people to read this "blog" ) already figured out, this is going to be mainly centered on hockey in general, NHL and the San Jose Sharks in particular but , since I also am a nerd, techie, gear head and overall a knowledgeable chap ... and a genius to boot ... I will sprinkle this "chef d'oeuvre" with other ingredients from various fields.
•  This is not a daily blog. I might post three times in one day or once in an entire month
•  As far hockey goes, this will reflect my own personal opinions backed by years of experience sitting around on chairs and in couches watching this sport played at various levels, and occasionally actually playing at it myself , covered in a thick tampon of protection designed to stop as many pucks from entering the net ... cause see .. I played goal .. since I suck at skating .. among other things.
• This will not be a "links from around the web" type of blog, although I will provide links from blogs I use in my "work" or to bloggers I disagree with or simply choose to bash.
• While stats will be used, do not expect to be bathed in yet another rehash of the whole "sabermetrics" debacle. I am of the opinion that "advanced" stats are very useful but they are just a complement to the observable hockey. A validation of sorts, if used properly, a valuable tool to examine results in system, roster, philosophy changes, yet not a valuable "predictor" as some number-hungry-yet-hockey-clueless bloggers would like you to believe. More on it in a future blog.
• Comments, negative especially, are highly recommended. There are no rules for them other than whatever Google has already set in place but if, for whatever reason, I fell like you crossed whatever line I decide appropriate for the day, I will delete your comments, ban you, track you down and tell all your co-workers you eat children :).
•   If I decide I can keep this as a regular blog and if it gets enough positive reaction (calculated in number of hate comments and death threats .. the more the better) , I might move it to a website of mine where others can blog at their own will .. again .. if I allow it ( I do like to be bossy :) )

 Oh and don't bash the layout  ... I will work on making it purrrdy soon.

So watcha think, folks? Should I really do it and what would be the first "real" blog you'd like to see from me?