Had season tickets for the Islanders since 2005. Now that they are in Brooklyn, it's not really going to be viable to purchase season tickets anymore since I live in Suffolk County.

I am happy that they are still in NY, a little bummed that I can't go to more than 5 or so games per season now.

In other AHL news: Syracuse (TB) is off to a 4-0-1 start this season. Their affiliate in Norfolk finished with that insane 28 game win streak last year and then went 15-3 through the playoffs to win the championship. A 43-3 run. Disgusting.

And many of those players were moved over to Syracuse because of the affiliation switch. So now you have some guys out there who have not lost in regulation in the regular season in 33 straight games. Sick.


In the meantime, Norfolk's (Anaheim) win regular-season win-streak still continues and is at 32. Norfolk is 4-0-0 to start this season even though they don't have ONE SINGLE PLAYER returning from the team that won 28 straight at end of last year.

They shattered all professional hockey records with the 28-gamer (now 32). Old record was Peoria of IHL in 1991 with 19-game win streak. And old AHL record was Philadelphia Phantoms at 17 (single season...during the last lockout 2004-05) and Syracuse Crunch at 18 (across two different seasons).

17 or 18 game win streaks are crazy...those WERE the longest in the 77-year history of the league....but now the record is 32...and still going? With a completely different team? WTF?

3 hours and 1 hour are an enormous difference. Few people are going from Hershey to Washington to see games or vice versa, but I bet there are a lot of people who go from Rochester to Buffalo to see NHL games. And who is crossing the border for an AHL game? How can you possibly think that 11,000 is a bad draw for AHL hockey in October?

Because it's perhaps the only game they are getting in that venue? And because AHL games frequently draw better than that in NHL venues even in seasons when there isn't a lockout.

I was not implying that Hamilton was going to bring fans over...rather that the Baby-Habs are something of a draw on their own too. In other words, they were playing a team that is probably a bit more attractive than the Portland Pirates/Phoenix Coyotes.

I very much expected that game to draw 15k.

it's over. BearsWhoDon'tCare win 4-0. http://text.khl.ru/en/34540.html

Right about now I would consider -2000 to be good value actually.

Saw this on twitter from one of the NHL reporters just a couple minutes ago.


Sorry they took this off the board, guys. But it really was a no-brainer and they set this line terribly. Hope you got in.

Can't say I'm thrilled with the Bettman quote though. Wow. Looking more dire than ever and I think the chances of the whole season getting washed out aren't as insignificant as I wanted to believe a couple months ago. Crazy.

If they somehow magically fixed this I would gladly sacrifice my bet to get the league going again. I look at it as a win-win...but, unfortunately, one of those hypothetical wins has pretty much no chance of happening.

Me 2-3 months ago: There's no way they screw this up again when the league had all this great momentum going. No way they don't figure this out by November or December or so. Winter Classic too important...blah blah blah.

Me Now: These guys really ARE going to screw this up again. Ugh. I seriously think they could play their staring-contest-game-of-chicken right through to the cancellation of the season. Idiots.


Welcome to the NHL Negoaitions!

the fact that it looks like they will screw it up means that they won't. that's what they want you (and the PA) to think. weak means strong. strong means weak. isn't this a poker forum? c'mon.

For the 10,000 time once the players hired Fehr this was almost a forgone conclusion. The PA did not hire the most expensive and experienced person in the field because they thought they MIGHT need him. Someone tipped their hand and players armed themselves properly for the game of chicken.

Like the guy in the $6,000 suit is going to screw up these negotiations. C'mon.

he gets paid to screw up the negotiations.

wish they'd just hire a mediator and get it over with.

Maybe my memory is serving me wrong here (with recent NFL/NBA situations), but don't these CBAs tend to get hammered out in short time at meetings that aren't even really publicly announced? I feel like they do all this posturing and then when they're serious, they'll meet and we won't even really know about it until they're really close.

Neither side wants a mediator. Surely you know better than this.

No, you're right. Once they get down to serious negotiations, the major issues will be horse traded in a few days.

well obviously they don't want one, or else one would have been hired by now. i wasn't addressing what they wanted. btw, the players are the ones who should be asking for one. publicly.

lol @ this

So my 7 year old nephew's birthday is coming up. I asked him what he wanted. He said that since winter is coming up soon, he wanted tickets to Staples Center to see the Kings play.

DO YOU SEE WHAT YOU'VE DONE NHL? Now I have to explain labor negotiations to a 2nd grader. Thanks.

The beer video is a no brainer here. (for everyone)

Don't do it. You don't want him to want to be a league lawyer when he grows up. Or worse yet, to be Gary Bettman.

my nephew actually ended up being gary bettman

**** that guy

Tickets are easily available. Whether they play the game itself is in doubt...but if all he wants are tickets then what's the problem? Enjoy your tickets!

MSG to show khl games. Only 2 are on the schedule right now.

Hear Triumph and Grind talk about the lockout and C. Weiss and I talk to Flyers forward Matt Read.

Special thanks to Sylar for hooking us up (again) so our podcast is now on iTunes.

goals of the week

OV goal was great. Datsyuk's was really nice too.

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