Home HockeyBuzz Register Login
"NJ DEVILS BUZZ"
The Rock, NJ • United States • 35 Years Old • Male
This piece from one of our admins on our NJ Devils Blog on Facebook...If your on facebook and are a Devils fan you should follow us.



The NHL has proven this summer that they want to stand up for their rules. And they have proven that no matter how poorly the expected publicity paints league officials and the NHL, in their minds any publicity is good publicity. However...



There is a point when enough is ENOUGH. It was supposed to have ended yesterday at 5 PM. The league did NOTHING in terms of a decision. Kovalchuk's contract should've been registered by default after 5 PM. But because the league did not have a decision, a 1/4 to five, they announced that the NHLPA agreed to extend the deadline until Friday.



Umm. I'm sorry. What?



So the NHL wants to stand up for their CBA. But at the same time they alone are allowed to undermine it? The five days are five days. I won't pretend to have read the full CBA, but I do know it's a rule that the league has five days to register a contract or it gets registered by default if no decision is reached by the deadline. So if the NHLPA can be bullied into agreeing with the league, the league can break their own rules?



Apparently that's the case. The NHLPA is leaderless and spineless right now and terrified of losing another battle. Of COURSE THEY'RE GOING TO "AGREE WITH THE LEAGUE". What is apparent, anti-Devil bias or not, is that the NHL is now playing hardball and effectively bullying the NHLPA into complying with whatever crackpot moves the league comes up with, because they can. The NHL is abusing the NHLPA, and as a result the New Jersey Devils are getting the "screw" in the word 'screwed'. And Lou Lamoriello has stated as well that no one had notified the Devils of the NHLPA and the NHL's agreement to extend the deadline. The Devils organization was kept in the dark until approximately four O clock yesterday afternoon.



My conclusion is this; the NHLPA is weak and unable to defend itself. The NHL is taking full advantage of that and taking a bunch steps further playing hardball. The message I'm getting from this entire fiasco is that the NHL wants teams to abide by the rules and not exploit loopholes, but for NHL officials it's okay to break as many of their own rules as they want, so long as they have the so-called 'agreement' with the players union.

I personally feel the league should've waited until the CBA negotiations to start this crap, when it was the appropriate time to fix the loopholes and negotiate in good faith with the players union. But NHL... even if the union is weak, you've made a bunch of people very angry with you, the NHLPA and the fans. If there is no lock-out in two years it will be a miracle. And if there is a lock-out, you'd best pray the fans will actually come back this time. You know, the die hard fans. Because the bandwagon Caps, Pens, Flyers and Blackhawk fans probably won't.



Not much of an article. But I needed to vent in a constructive way somewhere.



Peace and love-

Mary
Filed Under:   Kovalchuck   New JErsey Devils  
September 2, 2010 8:25 AM ET | Delete
You lost me in the first paragraph... It's you're not 'your.' The only thing worse than a crybaby fan is one who can't spell.
September 2, 2010 8:45 AM ET | Delete
@sharkwing...really that's all you have to say...okay....honestly I dont think anyone is crying over here....its more frustration over all of this Kovi bullshit...Nothing worse than a critic with a lame opinion
September 2, 2010 9:04 AM ET | Delete
September 2, 2010 9:42 AM ET | Delete
i agree why can they break their own rules just to fit their needs but other teams get punished and fans have to put up with this for two months. its ridiculous now and they have to put other players contracts in jeopardy to change their rules, its like they want kovy to go to the khl, and they want hockey to die out, because thats whats gonna happen
September 2, 2010 11:25 AM ET | Delete
The NHL and NHLPA extended the deadline in an attempt to talk and outline what will be accepted or not for this and all future contracts until the next CBA. I do not see this as a bad thing. (Until those talks fall apart). They are trying to fix a loophole that is being exploited more and more with every contract. With so many parties involved, it's not a quick fix.
September 2, 2010 11:57 AM ET | Delete
And please, stop putting 100% of the blame on the league. Outside of Newark, you have to know by now there are PLENTY of fans agreeing with the other side.
September 2, 2010 12:05 PM ET | Delete
If NJ wasn't trying absurdly hard to stuff a 11 mill/year - 100 million contract into a $6 million cap hit, this wouldn't even be an issue. It's NJ trying to exploit the loophole. Others got away with it in the past, which doesn't make it right, and then NJ pushed things too far. I'm finding it very difficult to blame the NHL for finally drawing the line. If NJ can't afford him without this 15-year front-loading crap, they should just let him go.
September 2, 2010 12:32 PM ET | Delete
lou lamorello is probably one of the most respected gms in the nhl, he knows what he is doing. NJ worked with the NHL to fix all the concerns with the contract and now the NHL wants to use it as a bargaining chip along with Luongos contract. the Devils might have caused a tremor in the system but the league is taking it too far and taking advantage of the situation
September 2, 2010 1:14 PM ET | Delete
They fixed all the concerns with the contract? They knocked off 2 years and $2 million and moved some numbers around. It was hardly any kind of major change...it's almost the exact same contract. Kovy just loses a few more million at the end if/when he retires. NJ is lucky it wasn't flat out rejected again, and that now the NHLPA is involved trying work out actual guidelines/rules with the NHL.
September 2, 2010 1:20 PM ET | Delete
according to MANY sources at the NHL the NJ Devils changed the contract so that it adhered to the concerns that the NHL had. maybe it seems like its not alot but perhaps its what the NHL wants, did you ever think of that. again the nhl could have made a decision but they decided they would use this to their advantage to make changes that they want
September 2, 2010 3:03 PM ET | Delete
If it was what the NHL wanted, they would have just approved it. Ever think of that? [laughs]
September 2, 2010 3:22 PM ET | Delete
maybe they knew they could get the changes they wanted done to the CBA by dangling the rejection of approval of the new contract, the NHL and the PA have been discussing the CBA since the ruling that upheld the decision to reject the first contract. they probably already have a decision but they wanna use it as a major bargaining chip to get what they want
September 2, 2010 5:52 PM ET | Delete
September 2, 2010 11:41 PM ET | Delete
@sharkwing, YOU'RE wrong, he didn't misspell anything, he just did not use the grammatically correct version of the word.
Leave a Comment
You must be logged in to leave a comment.

Blog Archive

10 On Kovi free agency
11 KOVI IN LA
12 KOVI SAGA GOES ON
12 IS KOVI USING THE DEVILS TO UP HIS PURSE????
12 WOW The Devils Make A Great Move!!!!
12 John MacLean is hands on as Devils open prospects camp
12 Is Ilya Kovalchuk moving closer to signing with Los Angeles?
13 Has Kovalchuck lost his footing with New Jersey Devils Fans?
13 Elias understands Kovalchuk's dilemma
14 Elias excited for what future holds
15 Lots of talk but nothing to announce yet on Kovalchuk
15 Kovalchuk Looking Less and Less Likely for New Jersey Devils
15 Kovalchuk desperately wants to be the highest paid Russian!!
15 Devils don't offer veteran center Eric Chouinard a contract
15 Anton Volchenkov: Devils were my second choice
15 MacLean meets the A-Train
16 Are Ilya Kovalchuk's salary demands tied to Alex Ovechkin?
16 Newly-signed Tyler Eckford wants to play his way into a job
16 Devils' World Won't End if Kovy Bypasses Newark
18 Kings believed they had a 50-50 chance of signing Kovinuts
19 Brian Rolston knows that changes are coming for Devils
19 Devils' signing of Ilya Kovalchuk puts a smile on John Mac!!
19 Dainius Zubrus: signing Ilya Kovalchuk was to shake up the Devils
19 What might happen next?????
20 Who Will Go???
20 Which Contracts Will Lou Dump Now?
20 Left winger Ilya Kovalchuk, there is significance to #17
21 Once Kovalchuk's deal is settled, attention to Zach!!!
21 NHL doesn't believe Ilya Kovalchuk will stay untill Age 44
21 contracts similar to Ilya Kovalchuk's deal with Devils
21 NHL Players' Assocation issues statement On Kovi
21 Lamoriello statement on Kovalchuk signing
21 ’t win Ilya Kovalchuk contract showdown
22 It's in hands of Ilya Kovalchuk and union
22 NHL might have picked wrong fight
22 LA Kings Dean Lombardi backs up Kovalchuck Contract
24 NHLPA to file grievance
25 The Kovi Saga
25 NHL prosecution merely a temper tantrum
26 Devils wait for players' union to file grievance
26 contract could trigger a war between Devils and NHL
27 Decision on Kovalchuk is expected nexty week
28 Kovalchuk contract could be restructured by arbitrator
28 Yann Danis Going to KHL
28 Mark Fraser Signed....
29 Newly-signed Mark Fraser vows to be 'mean, physical Player
30 Arbitrator has been agreed upon
30 Kovalchuck Hearing?????
31 Arbitrator - Richard Bloch a NEw Jersey Native
31 Association agree on arbitrator to rule on Ilya Kovalchuk
03 Kovalchuk will attend contract hearing
03 Devils will wear retro jerseys March 18 vs. Washington
04 D day for Kovi and the Devils
05 Roller Hockey at the Jersey Shore
06 Jim Dowd Shore High School Hockey Game set for Sunday
06 Is this is a set-up between Lou and Gary???
09 The arbitration decision coming today
11 Translated article from soviet sports kovalchuck
11 Devils name Rick Kowalsky head coach at Albany
12 HEATS ON!!!!
12 Where do the Devils stand in the market???
16 Today might be the day
16 90 million over 10-13 for kovi?
16 Russian News Paper Reports Devs and Kovi....
17 Contract submitted???
18 Another Quiet day in the Kovi Front
19 Devils still waiting to see what happens with Kovy
19 “Status Quo” On Ilya Kovalchuk And Devils
20 Devils After Marc-Andre Bergeron???
20 Kovi wants nothing to do with the KHL
20 Elias on the Move???
21 ELIAS TO THE ATLANTA TRASHERS????
21 Questions Surround Devils in Wake of Kovalchuck saga
22 Brian Burke Testified Against Ilya Kovalchuk Contract???
22 Devils Bringing Hockey Back To Atlantic City
23 Patrik Elias could be moved to sign fellow winger Zach Paris
23 Today could be the Day!!!
23 News 1130 out of Vancouver Reports on Kovi
23 Possible contract for Kovalchuck
23 Devils add more youth to the roster
23 EJHradek_ESPN Reports NJ Devils meet with the NHL
24 News 12 New Jersey Reports on Kovi Contract...
24 Bryce Salvador to Stars...
25 NHL 2 Devils 0.....
25 Lamoriello not frustrated by Kovalchuk process
25 Commish denies report of deal rejection
26 – NYPOST.com
26 Looks Like KHL is out of the question
27 Could this be finalyy over???
30 Devils could part with Zajac if Kovalchuk stays
30 ’ contract, but Kovalchuk retires
31 ’s official decision on Kovalchuk’s TODAY!!!!!
31 Niemi a Devil?????