Game 4 of ALCS postponed by threat of rain (Yahoo! Sports)

17 Oct
2012

New York Yankees' Alex Rodriguez responds to a question from the news media before Game 4 of the American League championship series against the Detroit Tigers Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2012, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

DETROIT (AP) -- One win from the World Series. Rainy or not, the Detroit Tigers will have to wait.


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Final OKs given for Seattle arena deal (Yahoo! Sports)

15 Oct
2012
SEATTLE (AP) -- The King County Council and the Seattle City Council gave their final approval Monday to an agreement to build a $490 million basketball and hockey arena in the city, despite the threat of a lawsuit from longshore workers.
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Final OKs given for Seattle arena deal (Yahoo! Sports)

15 Oct
2012
SEATTLE (AP) -- The King County Council and the Seattle City Council gave their final approval Monday to an agreement to build a $490 million basketball and hockey arena in the city, despite the threat of a lawsuit from longshore workers.
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CAA Preview: Drexel aims to avenge last year’s snub, snap 16-year NCAA drought

15 Oct
2012

Yahoo! Sports is breaking down each league for the upcoming college basketball season working backward from No. 31 to No. 1. Here's a look at our No. 12 league, the CAA.

When Drexel players felt fatigue setting in while lifting weights or running sprints in preparation for the season, the Dragons probably had no trouble finding motivation to push through it.

They merely had to think back to last March when they were perhaps the most deserving at-large candidate left out of the NCAA tournament.

With four starters and several key reserves back from a team that won 29 games and the CAA championship last season, Drexel will have every chance to avenge that snub this March and snap an 16-year NCAA tournament drought. The Dragons enter the season as a clear-cut favorite in a CAA race watered down a bit by the departure of VCU and Old Dominion, UNC Wilmington and Georgia State being ineligible for the conference tournament.

Drexel's strength under Bruiser Flint has been rugged defense and rebounding, something that's unlikely to change this season. Opposing teams shot just 39.2 percent against the Dragons and averaged just 0.92 points per possession, both top 20 nationally.

What helped Drexel improve dramatically last season was a perimeter offense headlined by guards Frantz Massenat and Damion Lee. One of the CAA's worst shooting teams for years, Drexel led the conference from behind the arc last season and placed three players in the top 10 in 3-point percentage. Massenat ran the attack brilliantly, scoring 13.7 points and 4.8 assists.

[Also: Hoosiers aim for first national basketball title since '87]

The biggest question mark for Drexel this season is probably their ability to find a low post scorer to replace graduated Samme Givens, who demanded double teams and freed up shooters last season. Relentless defender and rebounder Dartaye Ruffin will be asked to contribute more offensively this season with Givens gone.

No team in the CAA returns as much proven talent as Drexel, but Delaware and George Mason probably pose the biggest threat.

The Blue Hens, 12-6 in the CAA a year ago, return all five starters including high-scoring guard Devon Saddler and athletic double-double threat Jamelle Hagins. The Patriots lost their star, Ryan Pearson, to graduation, but wing Sherrod Wright may develop into a go-to scorer and promising sophomore Erik Copes should assume a larger role.

MAKING A LIST
Best shooter: Andrey Semenov, James Madison
Best playmaker: Frantz Massenat, Drexel
Best defender: Jamelle Hagins, Delaware
Coach on the rise: Monte Ross, Delaware
Coach on the hot seat: Matt Brady, James Madison
Three must-see games: 1 Drexel at Anaheim Classic, Nov. 15-18 (If Dragons win opener vs. Saint Mary's, opportunities for marquee wins await); 2. Virginia at George Mason, Nov. 9 (Virginia clobbered the Patriots 68-48 a year ago); 3. Delaware at Duke, Dec. 1 (Are the Blue Hens any match for the Blue Devils?)

FACTS AND FIGURES
New coaches: none
Regular-season winner last season: Drexel
Tourney winner last season: VCU
League RPI rank in each of past 3 seasons: 2011-12: 15th ; 2010-11: 10th, 2009-10: 12th
Last NCAA tourney win by a league team: 2012, 12th-seeded VCU defeated Wichita State

More conference previews from Yahoo! Sports:

MAC (No. 13): New Ohio coach Jim Christian is back in his comfort zone; Akron hopes to avenge last year's MAC tourney title game loss

Horizon League (No. 14): An unlikely Florida recruiting pipeline has sparked Youngstown State's revival; Valparaiso won't sneak up on anybody this season

Ohio Valley Conference (No. 15): Isaiah Canaan talks about coming back to Murray State, his most famous shot and how Hurricane Katrina altered his life; Murray State, Belmont poised to continue league's run of recent success

Ivy League (No. 16): Princeton's Ian Hummer excels at a school he has adored since childhood; Ivy League Capsule Preview: Harvard is still a title threat despite cheating scandal

Patriot League (No. 17): C.J. McCollum bypassed the NBA and returned to Lehigh to fulfill a promise to his parents; Expect another spirited two-way battle between Bucknell and Lehigh

MAAC (No. 18): Mitch Buonaguro enters important year optimistic Siena can climb back into contention; Next step in Manhattan's stunning turnaround could be league title

Southern Conference (No. 19): Trading soccer for hoops has paid off for College of Charleston star and Great Britain Olympian Andrew Lawrence; Davidson is loaded for another run at a league title, NCAA bid

WAC (No. 20): Will the beleaguered WAC survive as a basketball league beyond next season?;WAC Capsule Preview: Utah State hopes to rebound from frustrating 2011-12 season

Sun Belt League (No. 21): In likely his final season at North Texas, Tony Mitchell wants to leave a legacy; Middle Tennessee State vies for the NCAA bid it narrowly missed last year

Summit League (No. 22): In the small town of Brookings, S.D., Nate Wolters is a reluctant superstar; South Dakota State looks like the clear favorite

NEC (No. 23): Oft-overlooked Shane Gibson hopes to go from hidden gem to stardom; NEC Capsule Preview: Three-way battle for league title could hinge on LIU Brooklyn suspensions

Big Sky (No. 24): New stars must emerge for Weber State to succeed without Damian Lillard;Montana remains the favorite despite Will Cherry's injury

Big West (No. 25): With San Diego State on its way, Big West teams are investing in hoops to avoid being left behind; Revamped Long Beach State takes aim at another Big West title

Atlantic Sun (No. 26): Humble, unassuming Torrey Craig leads South Carolina Upstate's resurgence; Which team will capitalize on Belmont's departure?

Big South (No. 27): Unwanted in high school, guards Saah Nimley and Arlon Harper are now powering Charleston Southern's resurgence; Coastal Carolina hopes home is sweet this March

Southland Conference (No. 28): Pat Knight's epic rant had unintended benefits for Lamar; Oral Roberts assumes the role of instant favorite in its new league

America East (No. 29): Stony Brook basketball draws inspiration from baseball team's College World Series run; Early departures drain league of some of its top talent

MEAC (No. 30): Rush of publicity from Missouri win has long-lasting impact at Norfolk State; Savannah State seeks NCAA bid to cap remarkable turnaround

SWAC (No. 31): Mike Davis prefers challenge of winning at Texas Southern to torture of taking a year off; Balanced league will crown new champ this year

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Dolphins teammates think Brian Hartline is underrated because he’s white

11 Oct
2012

Despite catching just four passes for 59 yards in last Sunday's win over the Cincinnati Bengals — nearly 200 fewer yards than he had the week before against the Arizona Cardinals — Miami Dolphins wide receiver Brian Hartline remains the NFL's leader in receiving yardage and ranks in the Top 10 with a 17.7-yard per-catch average (which ranks ninth).

According to Ben Volin of the Palm Beach Post, Hartline believes he can be the deep threat the Dolphins offense has allegedly been lacking. Volin notes that when Hartline was in high school in Ohio, he was state champion in the 110- and 300-meter hurdles and briefly competed in track while at Ohio State University. Hartline ran a 4.52-40 at the 2009 scouting combine and a 4.49-40 at Ohio State's pro day, respectable numbers for a 6-foot-2, 195-pound receiver, yet many don't feel he has the speed to be a deep threat at the NFL level.

With so few white wide receivers in the NFL these days — Volin counts 18 among the 194 on current NFL rosters — race could play a role in Hartline's underrated speed.

"Yeah, man. Definitely." Dolphins wide receiver Davone Bess said when asked if race prompted opponents to underestimate Hartline's speed. "He can run. That's good that they sleep on him, because come game time he can open up on them."

Dolphins rookie quarterback Ryan Tannehill can relate. The 2012 first-round pick was moved to wide receiver as a freshman, catching 112 passes for 1,596 yards and 10 touchdowns before being moved back to quarterback on a full-time basis midway through his junior season.

"I've had that label before, too. It's just kind of a stigma that comes with it," Tannehill said. "If it helps you, then it helps you. I don't know if teams underestimate him or anything, but he's making plays for us, and it doesn't matter what color you are."

If Hartline finishes the season as the NFL leader in receiving yards, he'll be the first white receiver to do so since 1985, when Seattle Seahawks Hall of Fame receiver and future United States Congressman Steve Largent led the league with 1,287 yards.

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Chargers follow through on threat, bench Ryan Mathews

30 Sep
2012

Jackie Battle was a serviceable option at tailback for the Chargers when Ryan Mathews was hurt. Now that Mathews is healthy, Battle is a questionable option — but he's still Norv Turner's top choice.

Battle started for the Chargers against the Chiefs on Sunday and was getting a majority of the early work. Battle got six of the Chargers' first seven rushing attempts as they built a 17-0 lead — and Battle scored a touchdown.

Battle had a nondescript first five seasons with the Chiefs to start his career, then came to the Chargers in the offseason. But his promotion is much more about Mathews going into the doghouse.

[Also: 49ers out-Wildcat Jets, batter them into submission]

San Diego general manager A.J. Smith threatened to send Mathews packing over his fumbling problems, telling the San Diego Union-Tribune he could "be somebody else's fumbler." Mathews has 11 fumbles in his career, and he's in just his second season. But plenty of teams would probably love to take Smith up on his offer to dump Mathews, whom the Chargers envisioned as LaDainian Tomlinson's replacement just a year ago.

The Chargers did follow through with their threat and benched Mathews against the Chiefs. While Battle played pretty well when Mathews was out early this season with a broken clavicle, the San Diego offense is not going to be as good with Mathews nailed to the bench. Battle is a good backup, but nothing in his NFL career shows he can be a lead tailback for a good team. Mathews does have that dynamic talent, but isn't going to use it from the sideline.

The best-case scenario for the Chargers is that Mathews figures out his fumbling problem and the team doesn't take a stubborn stance with its former first-round pick.

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Big West Preview: Revamped Long Beach State takes aim at another league title

30 Sep
2012

Yahoo! Sports is breaking down each league for the upcoming college basketball season working backward from No. 31 to No. 1. Here's a look at our No. 25 league, the Big West.

Even though Long Beach State graduated the best senior class the Big West has produced in at least a decade, it won't be easy for another team to unseat the two-time defending regular season champs.

An influx of promising transfers and the return of some capable veterans gives the 49ers a chance to reload rather than rebuild despite the departure of conference player of the year Casper Ware and standouts Larry Anderson, T.J. Robinson and Eugene Phelps.

Senior James Ennis will have the opportunity to emerge as a go-to perimeter threat after showing promise last year as a complementary scorer and lockdown defender. Sophomore Michael Caffey should assume the role of starting point guard after averaging 5.9 points, 2.2 assists as Ware's understudy last season. And those two will receive plenty of help in the paint from 6-10 West Virginia transfer Dan Jennings and at the other forward spot from 6-7 DePaul transfer Tony Freeland.

Maybe the most accomplished of Long Beach State's transfers, however, is guard Keala King, a former top 100 recruit who averaged a team-high 13.7 points through 13 games as a sophomore at Arizona State before leaving the program. King won't be available during much of Long Beach State's grueling non-league schedule, but he'll join the team in mid-December and should be integrated into the rotation by the start of league play.

"Our goal is to always challenge in the Big West, and I think the talent is there," Long Beach State coach Dan Monson said. "There's a lot of individual talent, but is there a team? When you have that many transfers, they came for themselves. They left for personal reasons, they come to you as individuals and they've got to buy into what makes the team successful. So I know there's enough talent to contend and now it's my job to get them on the same page."

If Long Beach State's newcomers don't mesh with the returners or the veterans struggle in a leadership role, there are several teams capable of taking advantage.

Cal State Fullerton has a new coach and a revamped roster, but the one-two punch of guards D.J. Seeley and Kwame Vaughn make the Titans dangerous. Big West newcomer Hawaii also will be a threat because of its strong frontcourt led by Vander Joaquim and its unique home-court advantage.

MAKING A LIST
Best shooter: Dylan Royer, Cal Poly
Best playmaker: Kwame Vaughn, Cal State Fullerton
Best defender: James Ennis, Long Beach State
Coach on the rise: Dan Monson, Long Beach State
Coach on the hot seat: Bobby Braswell, Cal State Northridge
Three must-see games: 1. North Carolina at Long Beach State, Nov. 16 (Rare visit from a national power); 2. Hawaii at Diamond Head Classic (Warriors host Miami in the quarterfinals) 3. Long Beach State at UCLA, Dec. 18 (The last time the 49ers played the Bruins, they beat them in 2009)

FACTS AND FIGURES
New coaches: Andy Newman, Cal State Fullerton (Interim coach, assistant to Bob Burton for nine seasons)
Regular-season winner last season: Long Beach State
Tourney winner last season: Long Beach State
League RPI rank in each of past 3 seasons: 2011-12: 26th; 2010-11: 25th, 2009-10: 19th
Last NCAA tourney win by a league team: 2005, Pacific as a No. 8 seed in first round

More conference previews from Yahoo! Sports:

Atlantic Sun (No. 26): Humble, unassuming Torrey Craig leads South Carolina Upstate's resurgence; Which team will capitalize on Belmont's departure?

Big South (No. 27): Unwanted in high school, guards Saah Nimley and Arlon Harper are now powering Charleston Southern's resurgence; Coastal Carolina hopes home is sweet this March

Southland Conference (No. 28): Pat Knight's epic rant had unintended benefits for Lamar; Oral Roberts assumes the role of instant favorite in its new league

America East (No. 29): Stony Brook basketball draws inspiration from baseball team's College World Series run; Early departures drain league of some of its top talent

MEAC (No. 30): Rush of publicity from Missouri win has long-lasting impact at Norfolk State; Savannah State seeks NCAA bid to cap remarkable turnaround

SWAC (No. 31): Mike Davis prefers challenge of winning at Texas Southern to torture of taking a year off; Balanced league will crown new champ this year

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Bettman, mayor try to calm Oiler relocation fears (Yahoo! Sports)

25 Sep
2012
EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) -- NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman downplayed the threat of the Oilers moving to Seattle on Tuesday as the Edmonton mayor predicted that an NHL team in Seattle wouldn't sell out its games.
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Seattle Oilers: In which everyone calls Edmonton owner Daryl Katz on his bluff

25 Sep
2012

What a day it could have been for Seattle hockey.

The Edmonton Oilers touring the facilities, showing interest in bringing their cache of No. 1 draft picks to the Emerald City, putting the Seattle Whatevers (c'mmmmon Sasquatch!) one Patrick Roy-esque goaltending acquisition away from multiple Stanley Cup — a.k.a. the Nordiques/Avalanche Theorem.

[Related: Idle threat or are Oilers ready to relocate?]

Instead, the NHL's potential relocation to Seattle's spiffy new arena conceded the sports section to inept scab football officials that botched more calls than a fat-fingered blind guy with a rotary phone.

Oh, and then there's the notion that the Oilers will never, ever, ever and never move to Seattle. That Seattle is, like Kansas City before it, a City of Leverage.

Then again, so was Nashville once upon a time — and the Predators are entering their 14th season in the NHL.

The Oilers' visit to Seattle was timed with the City Council approving a new $490 million arena to house an NBA team, and in theory, an NHL team. Meanwhile, the Key Arena will be upgraded to house a team until the new building is complete.

The Katz Group was in Seattle right as Mayor Stephen Mandel set a deadline for Edmonton and the Katz Group to come to an agreement on their 4-year-long negotiation for a new arena. From Bob Black, Executive Vice President, Edmonton Arena Corporation, Katz Group:

"I can confirm that Daryl Katz, Patrick LaForge, Kevin Lowe and others from the Oilers leadership group are in Seattle for meetings and to attend the Seahawks game.

"We remain committed to working with City Administration to achieve a deal commensurate with what Winnipeg and Pittsburgh have done to sustain the NHL in those small markets. If we can achieve such a deal, the Oilers will remain in Edmonton and we can get on with the important work of developing the new arena and investing in the continued revitalization of Edmonton's downtown core.

"Nonetheless, and as the City of Edmonton is aware, the Katz Group has been listening to proposals from a number of potential NHL markets for some time. After more than four years of trying to secure an arena deal and with less than 24 months remaining on the Oilers' lease at Rexall Place, this is only prudent and should come as no surprise.

"We are extremely grateful to Oilers' fans for their patience and loyalty as we work through this process towards what we sincerely hope will be a long and successful future for the Oilers in Edmonton. We have no further comment on the status of our discussions with other markets at this time."

This led to an extraordinary number of people calling Katz on his bluff. Ryan Batty of The Copper & Blue spelled out the illogical:

The threat to move to Seattle, or any other city looking for an NHL for that matter, is an empty threat. Under the terms of the agreement that was reached between the Katz Group and the City last year Katz pays $0 towards the arena construction costs. That's not a typo, he pays nothing. His investment is a loan taken out by the City which he pays back. Katz also gets revenue from the building 48 weeks out of the year not just on hockey nights as is currently the case at Rexall. And this ignores the fact that he's already making money hand over fist in a small and outdated arena.

(An aside: Tyler Dellow has some good information on Katz, the team's current terrible lease and how Oilers ownership got what they bargained for.)

Back to Batty:

There is no other way to put it: Katz is sitting on a gold mine in Edmonton right now.

By comparison he'd have to pay rent in Seattle and would only get 45 nights worth of revenue in exchange. Also there would likely be a relocation fee he'd have to pay to the NHL which would come out of his pocket. And, although it's a bigger market from a people perspective, I don't think the NHL market in Seattle is as strong in terms of fan support as Edmonton is. Relocating the Oilers there or anywhere else makes zero economic sense if there is going to be a new building in Edmonton.

From Jeffrey Chapman of Oil on Whyte:

Mr. Black, I understand you're likely just the lip service of this press release, but I didn't think I would be required to put on my boots so early in your conversation.  The Katz Group (and the rest of the NHL watching world) are fully aware that they've got themselves a sweetheart deal going for them right now.  You've got a team that's currently making money hand over fist, you've got a season ticket waiting list that's longer than the Great Wall of China, and you consistently sell out every home game even though the product has been substandard since 2006.

Your visit to Seattle is hollow, Mr. Katz.  Everybody and their mother knows that you're a savvy, smart guy.  There's no way you're going to walk away from (a conservative estimate of) $250M+ and a guaranteed sellout every night in favour of a market that's unproven. You've  said that you'll kick in $100M back in 2011, so that's three hundred and fifty million dollars to build this damn arena.

From Damien Cox:

What he's trying to do is wring more concessions out of Edmonton on a new $475 million arena after first agreeing to a deal, then subsequently telling city council he wants millions of dollars in new concessions.

The Oilers are already profitable and have an extremely loyal fan base that has continued to buy tickets despite the dreadful showing of the team in recent years under Katz's ownership. To reflect upon the passing last week of Art Modell, the man who moved the Cleveland Browns to Baltimore and in so doing became the most hated man in Ohio, Katz clearly knows as an Edmonton native he would be risking similar pariah status if he tried to move the Oilers.

He isn't going to. He just wants to try and blackmail the city and is using Seattle to help him in the same way Peter Pocklington once threatened to move to Hamilton and Houston.

Indeed. And in the same way John McMullen used Nashville in 1995 — during a New Jersey Devils' Cup run, no less — to get a better lease deal at the Meadowlands.

The same way Mario Lemieux used Kansas City — "go, have a nice dinner, come back" — in order to get a $290 million hockey arena built for the Pittsburgh Penguins.

[Also: What We Learned: 30 NHL team updates]

What's different about both of those cases is that the arenas they would have escaped to were arenas with incredibly sweet lease agreements — Tim Leiweke, president of Anschutz Entertainment Group and governor for the Los Angeles Kings, offered the Penguins a chance to play rent-free and be equal managing partners in the Sprint Center.

The other difference: Gary Bettman is much less interested with playing the relocation game — at least at the moment — than with working to keep the Oilers in Edmonton.

So Seattle is a ploy, a gambit, a photo posted on Facebook to make your ex jealous enough to take you back. Hell, even the NHL in Seattle blog isn't taking the bait:

Don't believe the hype around Edmonton. Edmonton Oilers owner, Daryl Katz was reported as touring Seattle KeyArena today. This is way way premature but the Oilers aren't going anywhere. Here are the reasons:

1) NBA must come first. I expect this to be 6 months to a year out at best.

2) Edmonton has always had one of the top 10 teams for ticket revenue. To expect the same Arena Revenue here in Seattle would be ridiculous and won't happen.

3) The Oilers have had total home attendance of 690,399 the last 6 years…that's max capacity.

4) Seattle NHL team will have to pay more than current EDM deal on the table

5) The NHL cannot play in Key Arena…1 year maybe but that is a stretch.

6) We are talking about the Oilers!!!!

It's a leverage play for Katz. This is part of the Arena subsidy playbook. (Mario in KC) Don't believe it. The Katz tour has been getting a lot of airtime here as well. It's not fair to the hockey fans here either.

If anything, this visit and the previous arena news does elevate Seattle to next-in-line for an NHL team in the U.S.

Logic dictates that it would be another U.S. team that relocates before a Canadian team. And when the next one decides to, would it head to Emerald pastures or to Make It Eight north of the border?

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Dan Cleary thinks lockout could go year ‘or longer’; Martin Havlat says players are ‘meat’

24 Sep
2012

So while the NHL is muzzling its owners and executives under the threat of fines, the players continue to speak out.

Martin Havlat of the San Jose Sharks, for example, addressed Jimmy Devellano's comments from last week — that "the owners can basically be viewed as the ranch, and the players, and me included, are the cattle" — through his agent Allan Walsh on Twitter:

"The comments made by Devellano are nothing new. The players know that's how Bettman and some of the owners think, we're not shocked at being called 'cattle'. I can tell you the players have been called a lot worse by some of the guys on the other side, it's just never been reported publicly. I think it helps that the fans get to hear what we already know we're not humans in their eyes, we're just pieces of meat that get to eat some grass for awhile."

Interesting that the Havlat message came through his agent's account (24,184 followers) rather than his own (42,000-plus followers). Not coincidental: That Walsh was one of the first to push the original Devellano interview.

(UPDATE: Some clarification -- Havlat sent the quote to Bruce Garrioch who used it in his Sunday column on Devellano, and then Walsh tweeted it out.)

While there's no denying the owners see players as overfed and disposable, this may also be an appropriate moment to note that Martin Havlat has been given two contracts that total $48 million since 2006, and paying through 2015.

Moo.

Again, that's not saying he doesn't have a point. That's just saying that even Lil' Wayne doesn't get that kind of high-quality grass ...

While Havlat addressed the carnivorous rancor of the last week, Dan Cleary of the Detroit Red Wings became the latest NHL player to offer a sobering assessment of the lockout: That he's prepared for it to last a year or longer.

From Helene St. James and the Detroit Free Press:

"I think people don't think it can go a year," Cleary said after several Wings held an independent skate at Troy Sports Center. "As players, we think it can. Maybe longer."

[…] "Just trying to be realistic," Cleary said. "I think the league is waiting for us to make the move, and we're waiting for them to move. So someone has to move. And I don't see it coming from our end. We've given them a couple of good options that they can work with, and they, obviously, feel it's not good enough.

"We're at a stalemate, I guess you can say. We're stuck in the middle right now."

Clowns to the left of him … jokers to the right.

Cleary's comments aren't exactly out of step with other NHL players that have been locked out. Rick Nash, playing in the Swiss league, said he believed the lockout could eat the season. Alex Ovechkin thought the same, and declared he might stay in Russia if players' salaries are cut in the next CBA.

So is this just negotiating bluster or are NHL players convinced that the 2012-13 season is toast?

Tags: Allan Walsh, Dan Cleary, , , Martin Havlat, , Ranch, , Wings
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