Howie58

Sami: That is a good observation. You have to wonder if it's maturity or arrogance on the players' parts, or lousy preparation from the coaching. I don't know. What we can say is that the team is playing below its skill level and you can't blame Bryz. Best, Howie

When we got off to a bad start in '07-'07, you had a feeling the team was slow and built for a bygone era of which Hitchcock was born so to speak. We are off to a bad start with a team that's good on paper. You cannot fault Bryz. He has looked OK to Very Good. This seems like parts with no whole. I agree with Millbury that the frustration and dumb penalties are just stupid. Another loss or two like this and I see Lavy's job on the line. Sadly, Homer is at fault to the extent we seem to develop forwards...but D doesn't happen. Howie

Welcome to The Philly.com site is filled with bad posts...and lots of spyware. This is a good crew. Welcome. Best, Howie

Greetings: I posted on the game thread but repeat part of it here; I worry about the speed of this D against skill players. This has been an issue against Buffalo in the past but it's one that we may be "hitting" again. And Grossman's penalties may reflect some injury-related slowdown. Best, Howie

Howdy: There is effort but the Flyers look a lot less than the sum of their parts. The O and B have skill but puck movement in the attack zone is strange. Bryz's performance is hot and cold but I wouldn't fault him for losses. We may be getting an inkling regarding defense--does it have speed to keep up with skill players? We are killed on face-offs, a continuation of last year. Vanek kills us. Year-after-year. We had a lead today a blew it. Not good. Best, Howie

Greetings: Nobody will take on Bryz salary via trade. We won't waive him. So stink or swim, I suspect he is on the roster for the duration. But I could see a wholesale change between the pipes in the next year. By the way-isn't Leighton off contract end of this year? Howie

I guess a second take on these odds is that ultimately, management matters. A culture of good management sticks around, even with lean years. Bad management is hard to overcome. I think my backyard Panthers are an example. Tallon is turning things around, but that takes years. You'd also think that money matters, and I am sure it does. But Toronto has bucks...and a 45 year Cup drought. I also suspect a look here says the Southern Strategy hasn't exactly taken root. Best to all! "The Howster"

Howdy: Thanks for the merger...sorry for not seeing this. Hope all is well. Keep up the good work. Howie

Greetings: I saw this posted on Yahoo early today. What came to mind is how little things have changed since I started following the league in the early 70s. The Detroits and Bostons of the world are still seen as ongoing elite. OK...LA, clearly a "newcomer" to the elite. About the only surprise--and a sad commentary on the decline of the franchise--is Montreal's spot. On that score, I shed no tears. Best, Howie http://sports.yahoo....43519--nhl.html

Well, we tried to get the Webermeister and that went for naught. In a strange way, is suspect this buyout may help. If we dump Bryz and one other contract we have a lot of breathing space. We have a good cadre of forwards. I have faith Homer will do something to address the D. But....there is perpetual question in goal, and one of the Inquirer guys has it right: Bryz either earns his stay or gets written out. Now I wonder about Center Ice...will they charge the same...and will I get it or tell them to bleep off? Peace, Howie

Jammer! Thanks a bunch! We all hope the Good Lord is smiling down and "blocking" the BS. Best to you and yours... Howie

Hello: I wanted to echo Puck Meister's thread an wish all here a safe, happy, and prosperous New Year. I have been absent given the strike and other "distractions" but hope all is well with the bunch. Take good care, and let's hope this strike is settled shortly. Then we can talk about the impact on attendance and the "non-traditional" markets, which may be significant. Best, Howie

Puck Meister: All the best and have a great 2013! Howie

Apparently someone was listening. I just read that mediators are joining the fray. It is long overdue. These people are arrogant and fail to understand what they are doing to the sport. Best to all and Idaho...good to hear from you. Howie

Greetings: I have not posted for some time. It is not a good time to be involved with a hockey blog. I agree with others that all sides share blame. It is a lost season. Failure to seek mediation was a tell-tale sign this was a disaster in the offing. If the Florida Panthers offered me a partial season pass after a solution I would either tell them to bleep off or offer them 10-15 bucks for 100-level seats. I almost hope they die. Indeed, I think some of the weaklings will pass as a result of the Fehr-Bettmann FUBAR. Peace and best holiday season wishes to all. Howie

Howdy: I am not a big fan of either; but it seems that the owners have come off the perch. But if either side respected the fans, the game, or arena staff, this would have been at mediation a long time ago. I wonder if I'd get Center Ice if the season started tomorrow. Peace, Howie

HF: Thanks! Take care. Howie

Dear Jammer: I am not a management hawk so I will, as you would expect, respectfully disagree. I think a 50/50 split is fair. And the proposed changes in contact length and the effective ending of front-loaded contracts addresses the "mess" that was made. Revenue sharing seems to be a serious undertaking with this model by including the sick teams that are in large markets (Anaheim, Jersey) and the insistence that revenue sharing must also be accompanied by what the league called "best practice." I think Fehr is trying to introduce a baseball model (soft cap and or luxury tax) and I don't think that will work for the league. Best, Howie

Greetings: I am going to stick my neck out and say that if we don't get a settlement by the end of the month, the season will go down the tubes. I do not see the Winter Classic as a must have. And I think the beginning of the holiday season will be a lousy time to start a season. The league's last offer is a nuts-and-bolts approach that addresses many concerns about the small/nontraditional teams (what Fehr said was important a few weeks back) and does not call for an immediate salary rollback. In fact, I believe that if revenues grow at least five percent (their recent average) there would be no give-back. Bottom line: As much as we hate Bettmann, Fehr is worse--a kind old-style class warrior. And unlike the baseball owners, I don't think this league will roll over. Baseball had revenue room for error. The NHL doesn't. I think we are on the brink of our second lost season is seven years. It would be tragic but unfortunately, it may be needed to rationalize the game's economics. I am not into union busting, but in this case, I think Fehr's approach is outlandish and warrants "retaliation." We got a signal of what this was going to be like when Fehr pulled the plug on the realignment. The plan was sane: Fehr wanted to assert his "rights." Well I think the league is going to screw his rights (and the players') to the sticking place. Peace, Howie

Good Morning: I suspect that like a coat of paint, big time revenue covers a multitude of sins. So it may be that the GMs of the top-10 teams will have to change their game. But I think Homer is a more adaptable guy than Clarke. And Comcast/Lukko will be a constructive player. We shall see.... Howie

Greetings: I agree with prior posts-much is geared to protecting the owners from their excess. And I think this is a hand grenade lobbed back at the NHLPA--the fairness issue now seems to be in the owners' court. Writ large, this seems to be saying that now more than ever, "management matters." Teaching in a management program, we often ask ourselves if that is case, or if so, what are the other factors--random events, history, and so on? Not being able to dump bad contracts, avoidance of front-loading, and shortening the entry-level seem to telescope player involvement with a team and require more owners and managers to be increasingly "responsible" over a 3-4 year cycle. I like it, though our Homer may have to readjust his thinking. I wonder if this committee overseeing the revenue distribution will have veto authority over trades, team move, etc? That would add teeth to the new restrictions. It would also be a test of the NHLPA's assertion that it wants to fix the business model with the small/nontraditional markets. Would they continue to allow Toronto/Buffalo to veto a Hamilton team? Would they keep a team in Phoenix if it continues to bleed? Stay tuned? Best, Howie

Dear Jammer2: Thank you for your kind words. I try to be civil. That is important in my book. One of the things that got me sick with the old board at Philly.com was the incessant bickering, name calling, and "other." I view this as a kind of cyber-family and hope we can keep it polite. FYI, there are times I lose it and use the f-bomb...but that is generally for emphasis rather than hurt! Howie

Greetings: This is something of a take-out move on the part of the owners. 50/50 is "fair" to the outside looking in. But I suspect we are going to see changes on contract length, entry-level length, etc., that will tilt to the owners. And if the union really wants to "help" the nontraditional or small markets, those things may be as important, or maybe even more important, than the revenue split. The offer sheet war between Philly and Nashville over Weber tells highlights that kind of difference between the fiscal haves and have-nots. My gut says this offer will result in a deal within 10 days. Best, Howie

Greetings: It's hard for me to figure if this is capitulation or the 50-50 split is what they had in mind all along. One way or the other, this may be an apparent victory for the NHLPA....but I wonder about other things. For example, will there be more restrictions on length of contract, older player "security," etc? This is also a strange sort of test in regard to the season length. It will run teams a bit ragged but effectively cuts a month of pre-season and other stuff for an extension of a few weeks. The Timmonens of the league may be really, really stretch if this is what comes down. One way or the other, this puts the ball in the union's court. Realistically, the League won't go lower on the split. Now the war would seem to be over the operational concerns. I would also say that an implicit message is that neither the owners nor players may care as much about the weaker teams. A split toward the league implies more bailout for the weaklings. This split tells me otherwise. Peace, Howie

Greetings: I hope the gang is well. It has been a long time since posting but this strike dampens my enthusiasm. Frankly, I am disgusted with both sides. I even wonder about getting NHL Center Ice. I believe this is going to be a lost season. Bettmann-Fehr is big ego, big stakes and both will play chicken. Financially, you have owners who probably don't care and players who are either fairly well off or earning money elsewhere. The fact that serious negotiations started so late, and that neither side seems to want arbitration, makes me angry. We have dwindling wages and 8 percent unemployment, and these a-holes operate as if we can all go to hell. Perhaps we should tell them to go there. Best, Howie