Still No Deal, Gorges' Style, Price Mask Auction, More...

Good Morning HabsAddicts!!!

Another day, another fruitless bargaining session.

The NHL and NHLPA met in caucus with FMCS mediator Scot Beckenbaugh in an attempt to restart the stalled Collective Bargaining negotiations. Everyone hoped this mediation session between the two sides would gain some traction in what seemed to be a situation that was completely obliterated last Thursday.

Katie Strang of ESPN provides the details on today's events.

Speaking of details, Chris Johnson of the Associated Press explains how amnesty ("Get Out of Gomez Contract") payments have become an important issue for the National Hockey League.


Habs and Hockey News and Notes:

Here are a couple of stories by the Montreal Gazette's Dave Stubbs to lighten our lockout woes:

- Josh Gorges tells Dave about his new-found, fiancé-inspired fashion sense during an appearance at RW&Co at Place Ville Marie in Montreal.

- Dave reports on the charity auction of Carey Price's Assassin's Creed masks, and tells us how Price is actually improving at playing the game.

- The Globe and Mail's Eric Duhatschek tell us how Junior phenom Nathan McKinnon is looking to fulfill the country's expectations, and become Canada's "Next One"

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Getting Closer?, Santa Even Thinks Leafs Suck, More...

Good Morning HabsAddicts!!!

Despite the setbacks from last week's negotiations, popular belief is that this is the week that a deal between the NHL and the Players' Association gets done.

While optimism is beginning to dwindle even among the league's most devoted fans, Craig Custance of ESPN.com tells us how a pocket of players believe a deal is imminent.

With all the talk about communication between NHLPA second-in-command Steve Fehr and NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly, everyone is hanging on by a thread that the season can be salvaged. Add to that the apparent calls between players and owners, and it looks like efforts are certainly being intensified.

Yet others, like CBC Sports' Tim Wharnsby, believes that, to the contrary, there are 40 days left to save the season.

Habs and Hockey News and Notes:

- On the light side of things, nothing made me laugh more this weekend than the story by the Toronto Sun's Shawn Jeffords, showing the even Santa Claus thinks the Toronto Maple Leafs suck.

- Our Sean Lloyd examines the Five Stages of Lockout Grief all hockey fans must be going through at this stage of the lockout.

- Hockey Night in Canada's own Elliotte Freidman explain what the end-game of the National Hockey League is.

- Erik Duhatschek tells us what Hockey Canada will do if a resolution is found for the NHL lockout before this year's World Junior Hockey Championships in Ufa, Russia.

- Finally, to get a better take on the NHL propaganda campaign, agent Allan Walsh shares an article by Jeff Blair that outlines how NHL owners have run out of tricks.

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