OT - HOCKEY IS BACK

Fire Bettman

PRAISE JESUS

- The players' share of hockey-related revenue will drop from 57 percent to a 50-50 split for all 10 years.  

- The league coming off their demand for a $60 million cap in Year 2, meeting the NHLPA's request to have it at $64.3 million - which was the upper limit from last year's cap. The salary floor in Year 2 will be $44 million.

- The upper limit on the salary cap in the first year is $60 million, but teams can spend up to $70.2 million. The cap floor will be $44 million.

- The 10-year deal also has an opt-out clause that kicks in after eight years.

- The salary variance on contracts from year to year cannot vary more than 35 per cent and the final year cannot vary more than 50 per cent of the highest year.

- A player contract term limit for free agents will be seven years and eight years for a team signing its own player.

- The draft lottery selection process will change with all 14 teams fully eligible for the first overall pick. The weighting system for each team may remain, but four-spot move restriction will be eliminated.

- Supplemental discipline for players in on-ice incidents will go through NHL disciplinarian Brendan Shanahan first, followed by an appeal process that would go through Bettman. For suspensions of six or more games, a neutral third party will decide if necessary.

- Revenue sharing among teams will spread to $200 million. Additionally, an NHLPA-initiated growth fund of $60 million is included.

- The NHL had hoped to change opening of free agency to July 10, but the players stood firm and it remains July 1 in the new agreement. But with a later ending to the season, free agency for this summer will start at a later date.

Also, a decision on NHL participation at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games will be made outside of the new CBA. While it is likely that the league will participate, the IIHF and IOC will have discussions with the NHL and Players' Association.

Reportedly will play each division opponent 7 times and each other conference opponent twice. Wings will be glad to get 7 easy ones against the Blue Jackets but will have a very tough schedule otherwise. Long overdue but great news!

No surprise I guess. Love the game, hate Bettman. 360 days to the Winter Classic...

I have gotten tired of the NHL and replaced them with college hockey.

Granted, I just got up, but this is the best news I've heard all day.

Boo Bettman

I wonder if any of them realize the lasting damage they've all done to hockey between this lockout and the last one. I imagine Bettman holding a press conference and declaring "THE SEASON IS BACK ON!" and then the camera pans to the crowd and it's like 10 people half-heartedly clapping

Thus is great for people who work at businesses that rely on NHL games like Cobo Joes. However, I've noticed already this morning ESPN couldn't care less about it.

But I just don't care? I love hockey, I spent 13 years of my life playing it, and had some very early mornings just to get ice time with my travel leagues. I'm just over the NHL right now, and all involved.

Merica!!!

Finally I have something to watch on a regular basis.

isn't back on until we say it's back on. Who's with me? Yooooooooooooooooooooooo!"

How do most of you see the Norris Division playing out?

YESSSSSSSSS posbangs for everyone!

Bring back The Hartford Whalers and then Ill take the NHL seriously again.

the NHL ends their lockout before the Browns can end their coaching search. God, I hate being a Browns fan

Great news. Wonder how the Wings will do this season. 

I love hockey but I'd already made a deal with myself to write off this season and now I find I'm fine sticking with that. After two of these it's pretty clear these guys have more contempt for their fans than any other major league. I'm with the fan strike here.

It will be interesting to say the least how fans in general react to its return.  The casual fan (and i'll put myself in that category) watches infrequently during the regular season but starts to pay attention during the playoffs.  I have to say i really didnt miss hockey while it was gone (football is still being played and basketball is in full swing) but probably would've started to miss it a little in Februray once the Super Bowl was played.

But as I sit here right now I have to honestly say the prospect of hockey coming back soon really doesn't do anything for me one way or the other.  I'm not going to watch (other than to see how full the arenas are) and I kinda hope fans do stay away if for no other reason than to show Bettman and the owners you simply cannot keep doing this to your fan base.  

Unfortunately the only "vote" fans get is their attendance & viewership and if arenas are full and ratings are high the only lesson the owners/players will learn is that lockouts work.

John Shannon over at SportsNet was reporting as well that the shortened schedule would include only in-conference games for each team, so regardless of whether we see the 48-game or 50-game proposed schedule, there is that constant. In a few ways, most notably travel time, I think this shorts the Red Wings significantly potentially. 

As for the draft lottery proposal, I wonder if this revision, making all 14 teams fully eligible for the first overall pick in the draft, basically will mimic the NBA Draft Lottery. It might lead to some intriguing results - as the NBA Draft does - if that's where they are headed with it. 

and I'll take the NHL seriously again as well. It's a crime against hockey that the Wings play Toronto and Montreal once a year, in favor of playing a bucket of games against teams nobody gives a damn about, like Nashville or Columbus. Killing the Detroit-Toronto rivalry is like ending the Tigers-Yankees series or ending the Lions-Bears or Lions-Packers rivalries.