Chip McCleary

"Pipe down, boss. Im only on level 2. I dont fight you until the last level. Deflex, you'll hurt yourself, Joel878 -- systemtool"

Madison, WI • United States • 41 Years Old • Male

Things to Die (on the Hill) For

Of all the incredulous statements made on Thursday night (and there were a slew of them on both sides), one of the most striking was Bill Daly’s comment that a 5-year limit on contract lengths is “a hill we’re willing to die on.” It’s amazing that of all the things the owners could say they absolutely must have – of the things they say “we can’t leave home without it” – it’s... Read More »

Unfounded Optimism, III - Maybe the Final Chapter

Well, here we are yet again – another round of the media proclaiming success and happiness was imminent, and yet another round of reality rearing its ugly head to stomp on all those dreams. Predictable, really – and yet, some people just can’t help but make themselves giddy hoping for things to happen, no matter the ultimate cost. Myself, I’m thrilled that talks have broken down yet ag... Read More »

What Fehr should do next

Suffice it to say, I was shocked like everyone else was when news came out that talks had broken down between the NHL and NHLPA yet again. After hearing from some of the media about how progress was imminent and a breakthrough might be at hand, discovering that the NHL had yet again dismissed the NHLPA’s graciousness was … what’s the word, predictable? The problem Don Fehr has now is tha... Read More »

Unfounded Optimism, II

[url=http://my.hockeybuzz.com/blog.php?user_id=48072&post_id=14164]I wrote a post last month[/url] that talked about how the media was incredibly optimistic that because the NHL and NHLPA were meeting, a deal could be close at hand. At that time, I didn't buy it because the two sides were too far apart on key issues. Fast foward about 4 weeks, and it's deja vu: the NHL and NHLPA will have a... Read More »

The fallacy of "only 57%"

As we all await (some eagerly, some for morbid curiosity) news of how the latest round of negotiations between the NHL and NHLPA have gone, I thought I'd discuss an oft-mentioned point in both the 2005 CBA and this year's CBA's discussions: the Players Share of HRR. Many people have asked why various items aren't included in HRR, ranging from game-used merchandise to proceeds on the sale of so... Read More »