What Is He Talking About?

I gotta say, I find it rather interesting that Union Thug Mouthpiece Larry Brooks continually gives us play-by-play of the NHLPA's implosion. Personally, you would think that the players as much as anybody would be happy that the NHL is back in business and not continuing their shutdown.

While salaries aren't escalating at the rate that they used to, players are continuing to see raises in their salaries. The players become free agents sooner in their careers than ever before and are guaranteed a minimum of $450,000 just to play the game. The NHL didn't even lose franchises because of the lost season so the NHLPA didn't cost themselves jobs.

But hey, if some want to turn the NHL into the new Eastern Airlines, I'll do my best to make sure that the blame is laid properly at the Union Thugs' feet. They're cutting of their noses to spite their faces.

However, Ol' Lar gives us some great gems on the second page:

Yet, not only does the league continue to take the players' money, escrow will continue to be deducted for the fourth quarter, albeit at a reduced rate of 3 percent. Why? Well, one player has his suspicions.

"It's so in October when we get a check, the union can act like it's a bonus," said one Ranger, who was unaware there had been a vote on the matter. "It was a joke this year the way some guys reacted when we got our money back.

"I mean, it's not a gift. It's our own money."

Tell me Ol' Lar and your anonymous source, what do you guys think of the IRS and other state and local taxing authorities? They do the exact same thing which is why I do my tax returns as soon as I have all the numbers that I need. I file right away if I'm due a refund and wait until April 15th only if I owe $$$$$.

Oh and you folks who have complained up and down the street about the schedule, you don't have Brooks on your side:

Even now, divisional games account for 39 percent of the NHL schedule. In every baseball division other than the four-team AL West, divisional games account for between 45 percent and 52 percent of the schedule.

The Yankees play the Red Sox 19 times, but no one other than spoil sports Joe Torre and Terry Francona complains about it.

But eight Oilers-Flames games are too many? Eight between the Kings and Ducks are too many? The Rangers should play the Blue Jackets instead of the Islanders, and the Devils should get the Predators instead of the Flyers?

Actually Ol' Lar, I thought it was downright criminal that ESPN covered yet another pointless Yankees-Red Sox game in April of 2005 instead of the return of Major League Baseball to Washington, D.C. I mean not only was it the first Major League game in 34 years in Washington, D.C., we had the President of the United States throwing out the first pitch. But instead of covering that game, ESPN forced another Yankees-Red Sox game down our throats.

Ol' Lar also has delusions of grandeur:

Gary Bettman, of whom the outside world finally took disapproving notice this week (the outside world being years behind Slap Shots)

Uh, yeah Ol' Lar, you're really ahead of the curve...

Perhaps one day the commissioner actually would like to explain how Versus treats the NHL with more respect than ESPN. Perhaps the commissioner might like to explain why Versus doesn't have a nightly one-hour NHL highlights show, or a nightly one-hour panel show devoted to the NHL.

Uh, ESPN had a one-hour NHL highlights and/or NHL panel show? I remember NHL2nite but it wasn't an hour long, only a half hour (and IMHO, was never the same after Bill Pidto left). In the final year that ESPN had the NHL, they canceled NHL2nite in the middle of the season and the NHL was relegated to ESPN2 until the Conference and Stanley Cup Finals.

Last year, then OLN would give us the CBC broadcasts during the playoffs on nights they were not scheduled to bring us a game. Hades, OLN was showing us "classic" playoff games last year on nights the NHL didn't have any playoff games scheduled.

Maybe Ol' Lar should tell us what color the sky is in his world...