Kaberle Back To Form, TSN Habs' Preview, More...

T.G.I.F. HabsAddicts!!!

Upon his acquisition from the Carolina Hurricanes for veteran defenseman Yaroslavl Spacek, every more that Tomas Kaberle made was under a microscope.

Former Habs' GM Pierre Gauthier didn't do the former longtime Leafs' rearguard any favours, inserting him into the lineup to bolster the power play on a defense-first team. It's well documented that Kaberle is a defensive liability. His offensive upside is the only thing that generates any interest in him, although his contributions have been few and far between in recent years.

Pat Hickey caught up with the Czech born blueliner, who showed up at the Canadiens' practice facility in Brossard, Quebec on Thursday in fantastic shape. 

Habs and Hockey News and Notes

- TSN'S Bob Mackenzie gives us a preview of what there is to expect from the 2013 edition of the Montreal Candiens in the first of his "Best of 7" series.

- Canadiens' netminder Carey Price found himself in a funny situation during the lockout. Sean Gordon explains how Price felt like his former mentor in Tri-City, Olaf Kolzig, working out with junior goaltenders while waiting for the work stoppage to end.

- While we in Canada await what gifts our NHL franchises may offer to easy the pain caused by the lockout, Allan Maki of the Globe and Mail goes through what some teams south of the 49th are doing to give back to the fans.

(Photo: La Presse)

Read More

Lockout Mediation, Eller Enjoying Hockey In Finland, More...

Good Morning HabsAddicts!!!

With all the talk about decertification this past weekend, the NHL and NHLPA threw everyone a curveball by agreeing to have U.S. mediators join in the CBA negotiations.

While getting an outside perspective may give some hope to desperate NHL fans around the world, considering that any suggestions from the mediators would be non-binding, will it realty make a bit of difference?

Habs and Hockey News & Notes

- Geoff Molson and Evenko announced today that they will soon begin construction on the long-time arena plan for La Place Bell in Laval, Quebec.

- Dave Stubbs of the Montreal Gazette spoke to Habs' forward Lars Eller about how he is enjoying playing hockey in Finland.

- To get an idea of the effects of the NHL lockout on a small market, the Tennessean's Joshua Cooper at its toll on Nashville-area downtown businesses.

- New York Times writer Jeff Klein takes a look at what it would take for the NHLPA to decertify.

- The Detroit Free Press' Helen St. James gives us Todd Bertuzzi's take on the long-term damages the NHL lockout may cause.

- Adam Herman of nyrangersblog.com examines how the NHL wants to keep NBC from broadcasting Operation Hat Trick. 

(Photo: J. Scott Applewhite/Associated Press)

Read More

Five Habs Questions, Scott Gomez, Mike Commodore, More

Good AM hockey fans.

Unusually for a lockout Friday, we have quite a bit of Habs related content and news to share this morning.

Our Kamal Panesar looks at how the lockout might impact Scott Gomez and the rest of the team, while Sean Lloyd looks at five questions left unanswered by the lockout.

To boot, we actually even have a signing to speak of, with former NHL defenseman Mike Commodore signing a tryout with the Hamilton Bulldogs.

What do you think of that move?

Habs and Hockey News

- Roman Hamrlik and Erik Cole got into a bit of a long-distance verbal exchange over the lockout this week. Hamrlik recently expressed concern over the lingering lockout as well as the time and money lost.

- Geoff Molson spoke out about recent events this week.

- Blake Geoffrion has been cleared to return home.

- Former Habs netminder Jaroslav Halak is headed for Germany.

- Adam Proteau and Stu Hackel both look at how NHL-NHLPA talks are headed nowhere yet again. Meanwhile, TSN's Bob McKenzie contemplates the possibility of union decertification. What you say? Yeah, he explains it.

(Photo Source: Victor Decolongon/Getty Images North America)

Read More

Does the NHL Lockout Affect the Habs and Scott Gomez?

Greetings puck addicts!

I know posts from me has been few and far between for the last few months, and for that I apologize.

But considering what's going on, or rather what isn't going on with the NHL, what is there to really talk about?

As the NHL lockout enters Day 69, this U.S. Thanksgiving Thursday morning, it's more of the same.

Few proposals, a sentiment of frustration from both sides, petulance, at least from Gary Bettman, and a feeling that maybe, just maybe, the players are starting to get a little desperate.

If the NHLPA constituents are not yet desperate, they are at a minimum starting to break ranks.

Just this morning there was a piece on Roman Hamrlik saying he is concerned with the amount of money the players are losing. Habs' forward Erik Cole responded by saying he feels Hamrlik's comments are selfish.

That may well be the case, but what is certain is that it is becoming increasingly difficult for the 700-plus members of the PA to stay in lock-step.

The Gomez Question

If you haven't heard last week's Montreal Hockey Talk lockout show, listen to it now!

We had a star-studded panel with TSN 690's Ted Bird and Nick Murdocco, TSN 690's legal insider, David Kellerman, and the inimitable Dave Stubbs, Habs beat writer for the Montreal Gazette.

Some excellent hockey talk in there, to be sure...well worth a listen.

What's interesting is that after the show we started talking about the logistics of starting things up again, if a new season was announced tomorrow. And that got me thinking about the Habs situation from last year, and some of their lingering problems, like what to do with Scott Gomez.

With the massive distraction that is the current NHL lockout, perhaps Habs GM Marc Bergevin has more options now than he did when he first became GM.

At that point, the hideous failures of the previous regime were fresh in everyone's minds. Moreover, Albatross contracts to floundering players like Scott Gomez, were front and center in the fans' minds.

But what about now?

Anyone who has read me in this space before knows that I feel the Habs cannot be taken seriously with Gomez on their opening day roster. But now, a few months into an ugly lockout that has fans as jaded and disinterested in the sport as they've ever been, perhaps the previous statement no longer holds true.

I mean ask yourself, as a Habs fan (if you are one), when the last time was that you thought about Gomez?

With the lockout at the forefront and actual on-ice product a distant memory, I don't think anyone is thinking about how bad Gomez has been for Montreal. As such, perhaps Bergevin can start the season with Gomez on his roster, while having him on a very short leash.

And that's exactly what will happen playing under Michel Therrien.

He'll try out the roster he's given on opening day but, unlike his predecessor, will not tolerate non-performance...especially not from a veteran.

Couple this with the PA's latest proposal offering a provision to count AHL salaries against the cap, if they are $1 million or over, and the Habs might not have a choice but to start the year with Gomez.

And would that be such a bad thing right now?

Whenever hockey comes back it will be carte blanche for everyone. No one is really going to remember much of the previous season...at least not very vividly. Also, let's face it, the Habs are not a contending team.

Not yet.

And given that Bergevin has bad contracts in Gomez and Tomas Kaberle to contend with, standing pat and taking his time to see if the new coach can pull a turn around—from where I'm sitting, he can't—might just be the best approach.

Afterall, what's the worst that can happen...Gomez's value will go down?

A bit of levity

The technical geniuses at MontrealHockeyTalk.com have made it a point of creating gag ads that they throw on during commercial breaks.

They just finished putting the latest ad to video and I thought you'd all get a kick out of it.

Enjoy!



---
Kamal is Senior Writer/Editor-in-Chief of HabsAddict.com, and Montreal Canadiens Blogger on Hockeybuzz.com. Kamal is also an on-air contributor on TSN 990, CJAD, and LiveSport New Zealand.

Follow Kamal on Facebook and Twitter

(Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images North America)

Read More

Top Habs Prospects?, Jaroslav Spacek Retires, NHLPA Offer, More

Good AM hockey fans.

Last night, the Hamilton Bulldogs lost 3-1 to the St. John's Ice Caps in spite of peppering the opposition net with a season-high 46 shots.

Brendan Gallagher scored the only goal for Montreal's struggling farm team.

Fortunately, although the Canadiens' lower-level professional clubs are struggling, many of their top junior prospects are thriving, including — obviously — Alex Galchenyuk and  — not so obviously — Tim Bozon.

Which leads me to this question: which prospects do you think will make the biggest impact in the next two years?

Habs and Hockey News

- Andrew Berkshire of EOTP had a weekly review of Habs prospects and players abroad a few days ago.

- Former Habs' blueliner Jaroslav Spacek has retired.

- The NHLPA is set to present an offer today. Over at ESPN, Scott Burnside looks at some of the worrying similarities between the current lockout and the 2004-05 conflict.

- At USA Today, Kevin Allen warns that both sides must start truly negotiating or risk disaster.

(Photo by Christopher Mast)

Read More

NHL Requests NHLPA Offer, P.K Subban Still Unsigned, Brian Gionta, More

Good AM hockey fans.

In a rather interesting development yesterday, the NHL outright requested that the NHLPA submit a new CBA offer.

In fact, the league asked that NHLPA dictate, in writing, its position on all of the major negotiating issues. Over in the world of eternal optimism, Hockeybuzz's Eklund feels that this will be an opportunity for the players to step up with season saving offer.

Of course, should a the season be saved, it will be quite a scramble for the Montreal Canadiens to get the still unsigned P.K Subban under contract.

If the season were to be salvaged, how would you handle the sticky Subban situation?

Habs and Hockey News

- RDS has a piece on how Brian Gionta is filling his captain's role in spite of the lockout.

- There are whispers of a crack in the owner's ranks. Stu Hackel has more on that.

- A few days after Ian White outright called Gary Bettman an idiot, Kris Versteeg has also voiced his displeasure with the upper echelons of the NHL. If you are the players, you can't have it both ways. You can't point to how well the league is doing financially and then claim it's run by idiots.

- The Hockey News' Ken Campbell supports the recently floated idea of taking a break in CBA negotiations.

(Photo by Richard Wolowicz/Getty Images North America)

Read More

Hamilton Bulldogs Weekend, CBA Discussions Resume, Impeaching Bettman, More

Good AM hockey fans.

As I've mentioned before, I enjoy writing this little column on Monday mornings. After all, there are actual scores to talk about.

The Hamilton Bulldogs played a high-scoring two game set against the rival Toronto Marlies, winning 6-3 and then losing 6-1.

The much maligned Alexander Avtsin scored in the win for his team. It was his first game this year.
Down a notch below, the Wheeling Nailers got hammered 6-1 (a lot of sixes, eh?) by the Toledo Walleye.

Interestingly — and also discouragingly — both farm teams sit at 14th in their respective conferences.

Habs and Hockey News

- HabsWorld provides an always excellent recap of the activity down in Hamitlon and Wheeling.

- As the NHL and NHLPA are set to return to the table today, Grantland's Bill Simmons contemplates impeaching Gary Bettman.

- Stu Hackel writes about the 'illusion' that team's are losing money.

Read More

NHL Requests Break, Financial Damage, Saku Koivu, More

Happy Friday.

Or not.

It seems that the NHL has proposed that they and the NHLPA take a two-week break from negotiations.

A dumb idea if I ever heard one.

The owners will bleed fans and sponsors as this drags on. It is simply unrealistic to expect the level of forgiveness seen in 2004-05.

And the players are losing money they will never get back. As Mark Recchi pointed out earlier this week, "No matter what the system is, or has been, the players get their money. No matter what the contract, the owners always find a way to pay them more. That's why I say, get a deal and get back in there...the money's always there."

Get to the table. Get it done so we can all write about something else. Like, you know, Andrei Markov getting injured or P.K Subban being unsigned.

Habs and Hockey News

- USA Today's Kevin Allen tracks the financial damage of the current lockout while Adam Proteau wonders what kind of legacy the NHL's owners are leaving behind.

- Laura — a.k.a The Active Stick — writes about how Saku Koivu's heroic return helped make her a hockey fan for life. A story which I, and many others, can certainly relate to.

- Cam Fowler and Niklas Grossman are headed to Sweden.

(Photo by Source: Bruce Bennett/Getty Images North America)

Read More

Scott Gomez's Production, Carey Price on RDS, Labour Talks, More

Happy (U.S) Election day.

Sean Lloyd and I tackled our first HabsAddict mailbag yesterday, addressing a question we received about Scott Gomez's production — or lack thereof — with the Montreal Canadiens.

How refreshing it was to contribute to an article and, moreover, write about something non-lockout related.

Anywho, I hope you join in on the discussion.

If nothing else, Scott Gomez can always be counted on to get the ink flowing.

Habs and Hockey News

- Carey Price was on RDS' Antichambre program yesterday.

- As talks between the NHL and NHLPA are set to resume today, Pierre Lebrun warns against getting too optimistic. Over at Sports Illustrated, Stu Hackel echoes the same sentiment — curb your enthusiasm. And, at The Hockey News, Ken Campbell speaks of the different obstacles in the way of a new CBA.

- Boy, that was a lot of negativity, eh? Thankfully, we also have some optimism in the form of Kevin Allen, who underlines five reasons the NHL could get going by December.

(Photo by Richard Wolowicz/Getty Images North America)

Read More

NHL Withdraws Offer, Hamilton Bulldogs, Habs' CHL Prospects, More

Happy Friday!

The October 25th deadline imposed the NHL for the scheduling of a complete, 82-game season has passed.

As a result, actual games will now be removed from the 2012-13 calendar and the NHL has withdrawn it's previous offer.

Both sides unfortunately seem quite distant on the subject of a new CBA.

Habs and Hockey News

- The Hamilton Bulldogs get set to face the Toronto Marlies tonight for the third time this season. The farm team lost Tuesday's contest against the Rochester Americans and will have to face their cross-province rivals without Louis Leblanc.

- HabsWorld reports on the progress of the Montreal Canadiens' CHL prospects.

- Amidst all the doom and gloom surrounding the CBA negotiations, Stu Hackel focuses in on some of the more positive news surrounding the Columbus Blue Jackets and New York Islanders.

- Russia's KHL was scheduled to play two regular season games in Brooklyn this January, but it now appears those games have been cancelled.


(Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

Read More

Barack Obama on Lockout, Full NHL Season Not Possible, Brooklyn, More

Good AM hockey fans!

Last night, during an appearance on “The Tonight Show” with Jay Leno, the current president took time to answer questions submitted from viewers and the audience.

Somewhat surprisingly for a Los Angeles based television program, one individual asked about the NHL lockout.

"You guys make money because you’ve got a whole bunch of fans out there who are working really hard — they buy tickets, they’re watching on TV" Obama pleaded to both owners and players.

Somehow, though, I doubt his influence will move these negotiations forward. In fact, Gary Bettman has now conceded that playing a full NHL season is not a reality and no meetings are planned for today.

The NHL has teams in five so-called "swing states" — Colorado, Florida, Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

Habs and Hockey 

- Stu Hackel questions the New York Islanders eventual move to Brooklyn.

- Ryan Kennedy of The Hockey News argues that public perception of the league's lockout will eventually matter and impact the owners. Over at TSN, they wonder what enticements will be needed to bring disenchanted fans back.

- The Columbus Blue Jackets have hired long-time NHL broadcaster and executive John Davidson.

(Photo via NBC)

Read More

Sergei Kostitsyn Speaks, Montreal Teams, NHL and NHLPA Quiet, More

Good AM hockey fans!

Sergei Kostisyn has done well as a member of the Nashville Predators. A player in the 45-50 point range for the Tennessee team, he has been one of their better offensive producers in the regular season.

But I'll bet a lot of Montreal fans remembered why he got traded yesterday.

According to The Globe and Mail, the Belarussian forwards claims that it would be better for the lockout to drag on and that he can not adapt to North American mentalities.

Not exactly spark-plug comments, but if he were still playing in the fishbowl environment of the Montreal Canadiens, this would add another unnecessary distraction to the team.

Habs and Hockey News

- TSN's John Bartlett looks at some other teams garnering attention in the Montreal area.

- Tomas Plekanec, who is the third best scorer amongst overseas NHLers, is enjoying his experience in Kladno but is looking forward to return to Montreal.

- Alex Galchecnyuk is picking up his game with the Sarnia Sting after missing most of last season.

- No CBA talks are scheduled as the NHL's Thursday deadline approaches. According to the league, after October 25th, it will not be possible to salvage a full 82-game season.

- Ken Campbell insists the NHL must not have a misguided sense of urgency regarding cramming in an 82-game schedule and needs to get the CBA right.

- Elsewhere, Kevin Allen presents his list of ten things that need to happen for the lockout to end.


(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images North America)

Read More

Gary Bettman and the NHL's New Offer: Resolution or Ruse?

NHL Makes Major Offer To NHLPA

Thank you Mr. Bettman, you've given me a reason to write again.

I have been trying to encourage myself to write for some time now, but never ending talk of the lockout was enough to keep me away.

The player profiles kept me going at first, but the longer the lockout lasted, the tougher it became for me to write about any player's fit on a team that may not play.

After a while the idea seemed almost as silly to me as EA simulating the season and people following it as if it were real.

I don't mean to get ahead of myself, I'm writing as if the lockout has come to an end, which it hasn't. The fact that Gary Bettman and company have offered a deal that seems almost perfect doesn't necessarily guarantee anything. Because the only reason it seems so perfect is because everybody just wants NHL hockey to return.

The Offer

While I don't have all of the details of the offer, the gist of it is a 50/50 split of hockey related revenues, four year entry level contracts, free agent eligibility at 28 years old or eight years of service and a contract limit of five years. The offer also had no rollback and was aimed at a November 2nd start.

According to Bob McKenzie (via twitter), if a deal is reached, training camp would start October 26th. McKenzie also tweeted that a new deal would need to be reached by October 25th in order to salvage an 82 game schedule.

If the cards play out this way, the NHL schedule would go on as planned starting from the November second start date with minor alterations being made throughout the year. The end date would not be April 13th as planned and the Stanley cup finals would go as late as the final week of June.

Best/Worst Case Scenario

The best case scenario is quite obvious. Fehr and the players accept the offer, the 2012-13 season is put into motion and everything is back the way it should be. Unfortunately, best case scenarios are rarely the ones that unfold.

The worst case scenario would be that Gary Bettman is simply making this offer knowing the NHLPA will reject it in order to escape his position as the villain in this mess.

The main reason why it is safe to assume that this offer will be rejected is the HRR. While a 50/50 split of the revenue looks and sounds fair, the fact that there is no change in the definition of hockey related revenue will be a problem to the PA.

The 50/50 split itself shouldn't bother the players but with things such as relocation fees and expansion fees not falling under the category of hockey related revenue, the players are missing out on a lot of money.

And expansion is certainly not a farfetched concept, especially with The Hockey News recently reporting that the NHL was looking at adding two new teams.

Is The Whole Thing A Ruse?

Regardless of whether or not the NHLPA goes for this proposal, the fact that the NHL has shown a willingness to compromise on issues such as entry level contracts and free agency eligibility is a huge step in the right direction.

That at least, is the optimist's view. I try to place myself in that category but it's hard to remain fully optimistic about a league that has become known for it's lockouts.

What truly worries me is that this whole deal truly is a way for Bettman to escape the role as the villain.

Bettman created this lockout. Bettman chose not to attempt to avoid the impending lockout until it was just around the corner. Bettman erased the start of an NHL season for the third time in his tenure as league commissioner.

This does not make for a very popular man in the eyes of hockey crazed markets.

However, if/when the NHLPA rejects this offer, how can Bettman continue to be the villain in the eyes of hockey starved fans? The twitterverse is already full of comments stating that if the players don't accept this offer then they are a bunch of greedy, overpaid crybabies.

All the negative focus will shift to Donald Fehr and the players. The pressure will be off of Gary Bettman and the owners.

Part of me believes that Bettman is up to something here. However, the other part of me is willing to accept that this lack of hockey has turned me into a crazy conspiracy theorist.

How about your thoughts? Should and will the players accept the deal? If not, how far do you think the two sides remain? Is Hockey in November a true possibility?

---
Sean is a freelance writer currently contributing to HabsAddict.com. He is also a regular blogger and frequent panelist on the Habs post game show at MontrealHockeyTalk.com You can follow Sean on Twitter

(Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images North America)

Read More

NHL Makes an Offer, NHLPA Reacts, Michel Therrien, More

Good AM hockey fans!

As you likely know by now, the NHL made a significant proposal to the NHLPA yesterday.

In short, the NHL is offering a 50-50 split of Hockey Related Revenues and a full, 82-game season beginning November 2nd. TSN has more details here.

However, despite the apparent progress made with the offer, the NHLPA is not necessarily thrilled. Which, really, is not all that surprising. A seven percent decrease is still quite significant.

With any luck, though, this will get the ball rolling and we will have a full, exciting hockey season.

Habs and Hockey news

- HabsWorld enters the final phase of their prospects countdown, looking at numbers ten to six.

- Bertrand Raymond writes about Michel Therrien, who is as ready as ever for the upcoming season.

- Both Ken Campbell and Stu Hackel contemplate if the NHL's new offer and if it can salvage the season. Kevin Allen of USA Today also offers his analysis.

- Canada's National Men's Soccer Team lost 8-1 to Honduras yesterday. The team needed to win or tie the game in order to advance to the final stage of World Cup qualifying. Friggin brutal. And, yeah, I know it's not hockey.

Read More

Big News at HabsAddict, Antoine Corbin, Lockout Survival, More

Happy Friday!

As you probably by know, HabsAddict and Montreal Hockey Talk are joining forces.

For me personally, I am thrilled to be under the same roof as so many writers and players I've followed over the years. I am thrilled we will be able to reach a broader audience. And I am thrilled we will be able to deliver even better content.

Plus, I've seen the new website (you know, being an editor and all, they let me touch things on occasion) and it looks absolutely amazing.

I can't wait for all of this to be revealed and hope you follow us along for the ride.

Habs and Hockey News

- Eric Engels unveils the ultimate Habs team at HockeyBuzz. I enjoy that Andrei Markov and Saku Koivu both made the squad.

- HabsWorld reports that Antoine Corbin has been signed by the Montreal Canadiens' AHL affiliate, the Hamilton Bulldogs. The website also reveals the team's top prospects according to the fans.

- The NHL and the players' association concluded two days of meetings Thursday with no significant progress. Thankfully, at least Sports Illustrated was kind enough to provide us with a lockout survival guide. Apparently, this is going to last a while.

- An interesting story on the suspension of an NCAA prospect and its possible repercussions. 

Read More

French-Canadians in Hamilton, Wayne Gretzky Optimistic, CBA Talks, More

Good AM Hockey fans!

As I was peacefully dozing off last night, a thought occured to me.

Often, people complain of the lack of French-Canadian talent on the Montreal Canadiens.

But, looking at the Hamilton Bulldogs' roster, that argument really does not have much teeth.

Michael Bournival, Gabriel Dumont, Olivier Fortier, Louis Leblanc, Philippe Lefebvre, Michel Ouellet and Frederic St-Denis are all players who can reasonably expect to crack the Bulldogs' roster this year.

To boot, four of the aforementioned own NHL experience, joining Habs' regulars Francis Bouillon and David Desharnais in that category.

In short, perhaps it is time that complaint be put to bed, don't you think?

Habs and Hockey News

- Wayne Gretzky says he is optimistic that the NHL - NHLPA dispute will be resolved by January 1st. Talks between both sides resume today. Do you share his positive outlook?

- The Hockey News' Ken Campbell comments on recent issues, including ownership and Krys Barch's comments.

- Following up on an old story from this summer, some Sault Ste. Marie greyhounds were facing sexual assault charges but now it seems their court date has been pushed back. USA Today has more.

- Finally, a bit of humor for your Tuesday. This video shows a classic goal celebration go hilariously wrong.

Read More

NHL - NHLPA Talks Resume, Habs on Players' Tour, More

Happy Friday all!

As you probably know, talks between the NHL and NHLPA are set to resume today. In fact, officials from both sides have blocked off the whole weekend for negotiations.

On top of that, rumor has it — okay, Eklund has it — that the NHLPA may even have an offer up its sleeve, and a good one at that. Apparently, they would be ready to drop-down the cap next year to around 55%, with it progressively going down each year until it settles around 50%.

Although the league cancelled the rest of its exhibition schedule, there may be reasons for hope yet.

Who knows, we may even see a last minute deal to get the season going.

Or at least the two sides negotiating past happy hour.

Habs and Hockey News

- Andrei Markov, Brian Gionta and Josh Gorges participated in a exhibition game of locked-out NHLers.

- Alex Létourneau of HabsWorld takes a look back at the Montreal Canadiens of the last lockout in 2004-05. Elsewhere, Eric Engels has ten wishes for the Habs, should they set foot on the ice this year.

- John Tavares seems set to sign with Bern and join his Islanders' teammate Mark Streit.

- Adam Proteau of The Hockey News presents an 11-point plan to end the lockout.

- Pierre Lebrun looks at how GMs are spending their time during the quiet days of a work stoppage.

(Photo by Dave Reginek/Getty Images)

Read More

Revisiting the NHL Rules of Old: Forwards, Defensemen and More

Good afternoon puck addicts.

I think it's safe to say at this point that we're all tired of discussing players who are wearing suits in lieu of jerseys.

Researching the history hockey when the game in its current state comes with a few sad feelings of longing for something you've never experienced.

But as a fan, what can you do but think progressively?

That being said, feel free to let this retrospective on NHL rules rules of old remind or inform you of a time when the game was a game.

After part one focusing on goaltenders, we will look at how old regulations impacted forwards, defensemen and other aspects of the game.

Rest assured, this article will not contain the words 'owner', 'billion' or 'million'.

Attackers and Rearguards

In the midst of player salary negotiations, it's worth noting that in the very young stages of pro hockey, the National Hockey Association — the precursor to the NHL — had a seventh position on the ice.

It was a fourth forward called the 'rover', which was positionally the shortstop of hockey; behind and to the side of the centerman. It was in 1911 that the league adopted the more symmetrical six-man game that we see today.

The reason for the change? The league likely cited a want for more punch and less wrestle. Two fewer men equals more movement in the game.

After all, it was just one year prior to this that they implemented the change from one intermission to two. Two periods at half an hour each was a game that surely saw more fatigue and less action.

In fact, during my research it seemed to be that nearly every rule change since the turn of the century was a direct attempt to increase offense and action. The league's ideas were working and by the mid-twenties goalscoring more than doubled and was climbing still.

Some Just Don't Work

A rule is thought of, approved and implemented by more than just one fool with a hunch, and there's usually a coherent reason for its implementation.

However, this has not always been the case.

For a comically long time — until the 1927-28 season — an attacker with the puck, in any zone but the offensive one, couldn't make a forward pass. He was to bring the puck into the offensive zone himself before passing and beginning a play.

Incidentally, it was in the same year that they started assessing a penalty to a player who picks up the puck and carries it.

Far more perplexing was an extension of the rule that awarded a penalty shot for being tripped and thus prevented a clear shot on goal. You got the shot alright, but it had to be taken from within a ten foot circle, located almost 40 feet from the net.

Makes sense, right? Don't worry, the silliness was adequately evened out. The netminders weren't allowed to advance more than one foot from the goal-line during the shot.

How long did it last? The rule was implemented in the 1934-35 season and lasted until 1941, where the player was permitted to skate in for the shot. It clearly couldn't last, but that's still six solid seasons of awkward shots that likely never went in.

Some Could Still Work

After many decades since its first application, the rule against kicking the puck into the net is still largely debatable.

Prior to the 1929-30 season you could kick, punch, slap, or headbutt that puck into the net, so long as it went in. You put the puck in the net; you score.

I personally subscribe to the idea of allowing the puck to be kicked in, as long as it's on the ice. As Brian Burke would agree, we are very much in the butterfly era of goaltending. I can't see any disadvantages from their perspective. Once the puck reaches the slot and the crease, today's netminders are constantly tracking the puck down low.

Is there really a difference? Where do you guys stand on this?

Another one that I liked, which is more of a fun aspect of the game rather than a rule, was in the late twenties where the home team would start the game by choosing which goal to defend.

This was in a time where the ice was certainly more crude, more likened to a back-yard rink, which is something that would've impacted one's choice in sides more than it would today.

Teams today are a lot more serious about their advantages and disadvantages, as there's truly more at stake than there used to be, so this is something that would only create problems.

Up Jumped the Devil

I'll leave you with a few fun facts that in some ways marked the beginning of true consumer-based hockey, and is fitting with the league's current state.

The rinks were first painted white in the 1949-50 season. Prior to this, it was simply ice on concrete. As you can imagine, the puck was likely a lot harder to track.

Two seasons later marked the first time a home team was to wear basic white sweaters and the visitors basic coloured.

These rules were not really aimed to the players. After, they knew each other well enough and could see the puck fine. Rather, these rules were designed for the spectators, and more specifically,  the television audience.

From Wikipedia:

In the fall of 1951, Conn Smythe watched special television feeds of Maple Leaf games in an attempt to determine whether it would be a suitable medium for broadcasting hockey games.

The rest truly is history.


---
Amos is freelance writer and columnist who writes for HabsAddict.com. Follow Amos on Twitter and Facebook

(Photo by Richard Wolowicz/Getty Images North America)

Read More

Edmonton Oilers to Seattle?, More NHL Players Abroad, Prospects Countdown and More

Good AM Hockey fans!

Quite the bluff by Darryl Katz yesterday, no?

For those of you who don't already know, the Edmonton Oilers owner and the team's upper management went on a tour of Seattle's KeyArena on Monday, fueling speculation that he may move the NHL team if he doesn't get an arena deal finalized in Edmonton.

Certainly a timely move by Katz, especially considering the city of Seattle recently approved an arena deal designed to lure a pro team.

In my humble opinion, Seattle is a perfectly desirable, geographically logical market for a franchise. Just no the profitable, histroically significant Oilers. 

Besides, between a lockout and a Canadian team moving, that is a surefire way to provoke riots and utter hatred of the league. 

Not a smart move for anyone. 

Habs and Hockey News

- HabsWorld's always insightful prospect countdown continues with positions 25 to 21. A couple of interesting players took significant drops, including one who might surprise you considering he got a late-season NHL call-up.  

- Detroit Red Wings' forward Danny Cleary claims that more than just this season could be lost due to the current lockout. In contrast, Simon Gagné thinks there will be a season this year. 

- Elsewhere, Scott Burnside questions whether or not Gary Bettman has the will the lock the players out past the Winter Clasisc.

- Wayne Simmonds and Chris Stewart are headed for Germany. As always, if you are losing track of the amount of NHLers abroad, you should check out TSN's full list.   

- ESPN has a great rundown of various leagues and how to tune in to them.

(Photo via Wikipedia/ compujeramey (Jeramey Jannene))

Read More

Detroit Red Wings Fined, Boogard's Family, Habs Prospects and More

Happy Sunday hockey fans!

Obviously, this Sunday would be even more glorious if we could be talking about training camps and some hot-shot rookie making a name for himself.

For the meantime, however, we will have to content ourselves with the pleasant fall weather and the news roundup.

But, as far as news roundups go, its a good one this morning.

Habs and Hockey News

- Don't forget to read our Bryan Willey's great plea to the NHLPA. Elsewhere, USA Today has a great day-to-day breakdown of the lockout.

- Also, your humble correspondent was on Ottawa radio on Friday, if you want to have a listen.

- HabsWorld continues its prospect rankings, counting down from 30 to 26.

- Jim Devellano and the Detroit Red Wings have been fined by the NHL. I know many are not fond of the gag order imposed on NHL owners, but it must be said that Devellano was less-than-eloquent in this instance.

- Derek Boogard's family is reportedly suing the NHLPA for over $9 million dollars.

- Ken Campbell shares some various notes, including an interesting development with the new NHL-sized arena in Markham, in The Hockey News.

- Pierre LeBrun chats with Martin Brodeur, who has been part of four work stoppages in his illustrious career.

- Stu Hackel looks at how the OHL's new fighting bans will benefit the NHL.

Read More