Suffering Canadiens withdrawal? The Gazette has the answer with the ultimate fantasy experience as beat writer Pat Hickey and Gazette techie Eric Tobon employ EA Sports NHL 13 to produce The Season That Isn’t. Here’s how things might have looked in Thursday night’s game between the Canadiens and Sabres in Buffalo:
PAT HICKEY
THE GAZETTE
BUFFALO – Thomas Vanek scored twice and added an assist to lead the Buffalo Sabres to a 4-1 win over the Canadiens Thursday night at First Niagara Center.
“It was another one of those games where we didn’t show up in the first period,” said Erik Cole, who accounted for the Canadiens’ lone goal with his 13th of the season. “We played them tough after the first period, but they took that 2-0 lead and let (goaltender Ryan) Miller carry it from there.”
Vanek scored both Buffalo goals in the first period. He cashed in on a 2-on-1 break with Jason Pominville to open the scoring at 5:46 and then redirected a shot by Ville Leino at 14:23.
Cole scored on a power play at 7:35 of the second period, going backdoor to convert David Desharnais’s pass through the crease, but that was the only shot to get past Miller. The Buffalo goaltender had to fight to stay awake in the first period when the Sabres outshot the Canadiens 16-2, but he was busy in the final two periods. The game finished with the Sabres holding a narrow 33-31 edge on the shot clock.
Christian Ehrhoff gave the Sabres some breathing room when he added a power-play goal at 16:22 of the second period with Tyler Myers and Vanek picking up assists. Pominville completed the scoring at 15:57 of the third period.
“We always seem to have trouble in this city,” defenceman Josh Gorges said. “I had a feeling during the morning skate that we didn’t have a lot of energy. The good thing is that we get these guys back home on Saturday night. We have to get back on track because this is always a busy month. We have two games at home next week, but then we play seven of our next games on the road.”
Brandon Prust stepped out of his weight class and traded punches with Cody McCormick, who had a three-inch height advantage and 30 pounds on Prust.
“I think I held my own,” Prust said as he held an ice pack over a welt on his cheek. “We grew up together in London and we’ve trained together in the summer, but I think that’s the first time we’ve fought.”
The Canadiens play the Sabres at home Saturday and have a Monday home date against Carolina.
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The difference between the two pressers is so immense that either one side is FOS or incredibly stupid….WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Fehr continues his shell game. Hope the players understand when they lose 100% of the season.
We’re taking make whole off the table.
Nice negotiating there.
I think the only option now is decertification.
A better option would have been to have the 750 players vote on the deal with a 10 year cba and 5 year contract lengths. Can you honestly say that you think the membership as a whole wouldn’t have accepted that?
Fehr does no want to lose, wont even let it go for a vote.
Fehr is a tool, the second hes introduced into the negotiation, and it blows up? Bettman wasn’t even there, and it all blows up!. I’m donte backing the players.
And I think that doesn’t worry the league one little bit.
Agree, it becomes a lawyer battle, deep pockets win those. I will now await correction.
Yep. This was all about busting the union and enacting a new economic order from the beginning. The fly in the soup was Fehr. He is no patsy like Goodenow was. The harm done to the brand in those bullsh*t markets down south is complete. It is done like dinner down there amigos, stick a fork in it. It aint coming back. Blow this b*tch up and start over.
OK, I’m bored…
EDIT: It’s supposed to be to the music of John Cougar’s ROCK in the USA.
It’s not working tonight.
Hockey Frustration Song no. 26
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2dO_QKwtko4
They play in the cities
And they play in the smaller towns
Beat up stars on blades playin’ hockey
Goin crack boom bam
Hockey ain’t dead in the U.S.A.
Hockey ain’t dead in the U.S.A.
Hockey ain’t dead in the U.S.A., Just yet…!
Hockey’ in the U.S.A.
Said goodbye to their families
Said goodbye to their friends
Signed contracts in their hands
Leaving Canada behind once again
Game is rough and long are nights
Ain’t no game being shown in the dorm tonight
With the blind faith of the fans you hope that they just might, be
Signin’ a new CBA.
Hey!
Voices from players
And voices from the billionnaires
Filled fans’ head full of dreams
Turned the game upside down
There was Teddie Lindsman,Bobby Orr and Mchael Ryder
There was Rocket!
Now here’s Bettman and Donald Fehr being a**-holes
Screwing our game!
Spotlight on the eve
Watchin’ hockey go down
What’s left in the U.S.A.
No more hockey in the U.S.A.
No more hockey in the U.S.A.
No more hockey in the U.S.A.
Here you go, Bri.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SgtmStUrXMQ
Great choice, btw.
EDIT- Well, you fixed that quickly enough!
Bettman speaking on TSN.
He just smashed Fehr’s lob in my opinion. I don’t like the guy but I think at least he’s being honest. Fehr was just blowing smoke.
In the end it sounds like the players drew the line on contract length and CBA length, which is absolutely ludicrous when you consider that only 12% of NHL contracts are more than 5 years and that every single CBA has been better for the players at the end of the term. Have they forgotten that they wanted to continue playing under the old CBA only months ago??
This makes no sense.
So, the players have to give back 7%, give back contract rights, pay there own pention, and its not enough? wow, NHL, just wow. It looks like you guys won already, yet its not enough?
Fehr: we agree to all your financial proposals.
Bettman: No deal, its all off the table.
Fehr: We don’t mind scraps.
Bettman: What are you willing to pay for them?
So when you say “Agree to ALL of your financial proposals” is term not a part of the financial proposal?
Ben, I have more than my share of frustration with owners, but you do realize the players and their leader have not yet been proclaimed a Deity yet right?
Fehr has said that things were great before and then the NHL tears his agreement apart. Will have to hear what the NHL says and see details on the PA to make a call.
Offer was rejected via voicemail.
Stick a fork in the hopes of having NHL hockey, it’s done.
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“Access Forbidden” gettin’ ya down?
Hold down Shift while clicking refresh.
Voicemail? Well, at least they’re still talking.
Wow, Crazy. They are apart by what amounts to very little and they are driving the bus over the cliff. WTF
Sure sounds that way…
Nyet said the NHL.
Bob McKenzie just called it “catastrophic”. That’s not good I think.
Tell me when it’s over. I have had enough of this BS. I’m going out to the garage to play with my ’66 Mustang.
I am hopeful you weren’t born in 66.
What happened to the ‘ lets bring back the mediators’ ? I think that was what pissed of all the moderate owners and Bettman and is why they didn’t bother attending the meeting. Media didn’t even ask that question.
I don’t believe that. It was more like WTF do you want them for?
IMO the PO to the moderates was they got the hardliners to agree to a more moderate proposal only to have the PA say no. By the way my IMO came from the talking heads.
I know alot of posters here follow twitter. Off all the many putting tweets out in regard to the lock out. I honestly believe that the player agent Allan Walsh is a total shate disturber. What a douche..
Seventeenth!!!
Bri’, you’ll always be 15th with me.
BTW: I just sneezed and now I got a bunch of rainbow specks of my screen. Try it. It’s kinda neat.
God, I love seniors!!
Do you think I’ll get quoted in the HIO section next week?
JohnBellyful offered a refreshing departure from the usual doom and gloom surrounding lockout talks, veering off into demented prattle: “BTW: I just sneezed and now I got a bunch of rainbow specks of my screen. Try it. It’s kinda neat.”
Geez, now I wished I had spent a bit more time on that post.
OFLMAO!!!
You need help.
It seems only fitting that the two players behind Fehr during presser is Richards and Crosby, two of the wealthiest players in the league.
Probably not all that dissimilar that Bettman has had Murray Edwards and Jacobs with him most every step of the way.
Probably the only 2 players on the podium with longer than 5 year contracts too. Coincidence?
Either way you gotta give Fehr credit, he just lobbed the ball at Bettman and put all the pressure on him at the same time. Smart.
Yeah, isn’t that great Gerry?
Let’s have all the needy people converge.
jeez….i know he’s short but st. louis was there too!
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It’ll always be Habs Inside/Out to me
Did anybody else notice that not one Bruin player was represented across the table?? Please correct me if I am wrong.
None could pass the Intelligent Quota… which was set at room temperature.
LMAO
Every team cannot be represented, mathematically impossible.
wjc
How enlightening.
Original Six team, top six in revenue, Stanley Cup winner, 18 players there and no player rep? Hmm, strange. Oh,yeah, I forgot the math! That’s the ticket!
Boo Sabres! Anyone have a link to video of Souray scoring against them with 1 second left in overtime?
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Being a Hab fan is like buying real estate: only over the long-haul will you appreciate the true value of your investment.
TSN to show PA presser momentarily.
Did you see that report just now? I can’t believe that the players are going to draw a line in the sand over contract length when 88% of them will never sign more than a 5 year deal anyhow.
Mind boggling.
If this is another Fehr rope a dope counter triple counter secret squirrel CBA proposal… I fear the NHL walks away.
Agreed. Watching this, I give him credit for saying all the right things but it’s the fine print that matters. I really hope that everything he’s saying is genuine.
“Nick Cotsonika@cotsonika
Apparently players had something significant to say, weren’t happy Bettman and owners didn’t show up. We’ll see what Fehr says.”
So we’re back to the sides complaining about each other. Awesome.
Edit: Fehr will be adressing the media in 15 minutes. Nobody thinks it’s good news. What a circus.
Can I play too? …. first
Well done Myron, this could be your first first i think?
Absolutely – and it was so unexpected that I didn’t think to have any remarks prepared. Let’s see … I’d like to thank the academy, and my Mom and all the little people that made this possible.
Wait, wrong speech.
To quote that well known philosopher:
“It is far, far better to be first, than it is to be second.”
– Sean Avery
LMAO. Too funny Psycho!