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But the biggest difference between now and 2009 to 2011? The smiles. They’re everywhere. The ease in their steps as they leave the ice. From 20-year-old Cody Eakin, who would die happy if he got his first NHL playoff shift, to Mike Knuble, a proud captain trying to play his way back onto a line at 39, it seems contagious.
Everybody who remembers the past three years before Game 1 of the first round says the mood was lighter this time, the locker room more jovial. No President’s Trophy to validate like in 2009. No chance of Barry Melrose or Don Cherry proclaiming on television, “Without a doubt, the Washington Capitals will be raising the Stanley Cup come June.”
On the same day he signed a contract to play for a Russian team in the Kontinental Hockey League, Alex Ovechkin reiterated that if a new NHL collective bargaining agreement includes dramatic rollbacks in existing salaries, some... more »
Gary Bettman is clearly an emotional man.He is also a man who does not understand his job.He is thoroughly confrontational and obviously willing to take on players in a battle over finances. He wants to win that battle so he can... more »
A few generations ago players in the NHL were not as well positioned in the hockey industry as they are now, lockout or not. There was a players' association, but it was hardly what it is today, whatever your opinion of Don... more »
Perhaps NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly was having a bad day. Asked about the criticism on social media over NHL labour tactics, Daly said negotiating a new collective agreement (CBA) is still Job 1. “We do not intend... more »
For hockey fans, there’s something depressingly familiar about the current battle between the National Hockey League and its players. The lockout, which began at the stroke of midnight on Sept. 15, is the third in the past 18... more »
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