Dressing the best team or pay a huge fine.

[Cranky]

I picked this up from Larry Wigge column. I never realized that the fine was this huge!

I wonder if the Hab's should be charged with this fine every time they dress their defesive "core".

I wonder how the Formaldahyde team (Detroit) will handle the last 5 games of the regular season? Trust Bow'master to pull some magic trick. All those "nagging" 2 and 3 game injuries they will all develope.

----------------------------------

As many people know, Marco Sturm was given permission by the Sharks to play in two preliminary-round Olympic games for Germany (a classy move, and one that Sturm was very excited about). He would only miss one regular season game against Carolina. Suddenly, an unnamed team complains and the Sharks are informed they will be slapped with a $1 million fine, and loss of draft picks, if they don't dress Sturm against the Hurricanes, under some rule stating that a team must dress the most competitive team it can every night. Now jump ahead a month or so. Mario Lemieux is apparently picking and choosing what games he plays in.

--------
He goes on to say that Lemieux is injured and can do this.

[BadCompany]

So does that mean that Curtis Joseph has to play 82 games a year?

Its a dumb ruling. I realize the logic behind it all - fans are paying big money to see NHL players, and you would also hate to see a 9th place team snag a final playoff spot because the team they are playing rest 12 regulars (didn't that already happen to us?) - but how often does this happen?

The NHL has never really been in favor of this whole Olympic experience, and has approached it with disdain from Day 1. I have serious doubts they will be there in four years.

[habernac]

They won't be there in 4 years. The only reason they're there this year is to showcase the American team to the public and hopefully get a few more fans showing up to games down south. The ultimate result for the NHL would be USA gold. Too bad they are icing Team Old Geezer at these games, especially on defense. You can bet if the US had to qualify there would have been a 3 week break for the Olympics so the best American players could all help the team qualify. The league should do a 3 week break for this tournament for everyone. The NHL, sadly, only is doing this for further exposure to their product.  

[The New Guy]

It's a stupid rule, but it has the place - namely that you don't want teams throwing games to get better draft picks (didn't someone point fingers at Ottawa a while back for just that?)

As for the Olympics - the Gary Bettman is a moron.  He has always been a moron.  He will always be a moron.  He doesn't understand business.  At all.  Period.  

Proof: He wants to sell hockey to the US
=>The US is already supersaturated with professional sports.  Football, Baseball, Basketball - there's just not that big a market there.  And it won't make a difference if the US wins the gold or not.  Why?  Because there's no room.  Meanwhile, you have all these small Eastern European countries (and Germany) who tend to like hockey.  A lot.  Do they have access to the NHL?  No.  Do they have access to pro sports?  Not unless you consider talking in funny accents a pro sport.  So Gary Bettman could be selling - albeit to a poorer but much more availible market by letting them have the players they need to make it past the prelims.  He could ease tensions with the IIHF.  He could make it seem fair.  Hell, maybe we could even bribe that polish judge next time around to make things fair.

But no.  He tries constanly to sell hockey to the US market where there's just no room.

Moron.

I'm sorry - I wish they'd get rid of him.  Now

Later

[MPLABBE]

IF the rule was applied to this year's edition of the Habs,we would be broke and we wouldn't have a 1st rounder for the next century!


By the way TNG,Bettman just signed an extension for something like 4 years.

[seventeen]

Bettman must have Therrien's agent.