Hockey is back in Philadelphia
Daily News Flyers blog
Hockey is back in Philadelphia
Flyers chairman Ed Snider received just about the best present he could ask for on Sunday morning, as he celebrates his 80th birthday.
Hockey is back in Philadelphia.
After an epic, 16-hour bargaining session that began Saturday afternoon, embattled leaders Gary Bettman and Donald Fehr emerged from a Manhattan hotel lobby bearing news that the start of a shortened season is right around the corner.
“This is the best wake up call I’ve ever had,” Flyers star Claude Giroux told the Daily News early Sunday morning. “It’s good to see that the game is back.”
The tentative agreement, reached some time around 4:45 a.m. on Sunday after a 113-day lockout, still needs to be ratified by a majority of the NHL’s Board of Governors and 740 players.
Details on scheduling and timing depend on ratification. Multiple reports suggested week-long training camps will open by Wednesday, with a 48 or 50-game season on the way, possibly as soon as Jan. 15.
That means we are less than two weeks away from the Flyers’ commencing their next crack at a 38-year Stanley Cup drought. The Flyers last played a game on May 8, when they were knocked out of the playoffs in the second round against New Jersey. The team has not yet provided any information on tickets.
The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported last week that the Flyers are likely to open the season hosting the Penguins - whom Giroux knocked out of the playoffs with a thunderous shoulder check last April - on Jan. 19 at 1 o’clock at the Wells Fargo Center in a nationally televised grudge match. A 48 or 50-game shortened schedule would likely include inter-conference only matchups.
ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun reported a 50-game season would likely begin on Jan. 15, a 48-game season on Jan. 19.
“We’ll be talking to the fans, most importantly, but at this point in time, we still have some work to do,” Bettman told reporters. “But it’s good to be at this point. There’s still a lot of work to be done, but the basic framework of the deal has been agreed upon.”
During the last lockout-shortened season in 1994-95, the Flyers broke a five-year playoff drought and advanced to the conference finals on the back of Eric Lindros’ Hart Trophy-winning year.
Here are a few important nuggets from the NHL’s new Collective Bargaining Agreement:
> The best news is that we won’t have to do this again for a while. The new CBA is 10 years in length, expiring after the 2021-22 season, with each side holding an opt-out clause after 8 years.
> The salary cap in the first year of the deal will be flexible, with the previously set $70.2 million cap ceiling operating as a guide. The cap will drop to $64.3 million for the 2013-14 season, up from $60 million as proposed by the NHL earlier this week. That’s good news for the Flyers, who won’t need to do too much chopping to get down to that number. The Flyers have approximately $57 million committed to 16 players for 2013-14.
> We should call the shortened season Ilya Bryzgalov's last chance to persuade the Flyers he should stay in Philadelphia. That's because all NHL teams will be equipped with two compliance buyouts, also known as contract amnesties, to buy players out of their deal to get to the new salary cap number. No players may be bought out during the shortened season, though they must be bought out prior to the 2013-14 season. Buyouts will cost two-thirds of what's remaining on a player's deal. For Bryzgalov, that would mean approximately $22.77 million to buy out the remaining 7 years of his deal.
> New player contracts are limited to 7 years in length, with teams being able to re-sign their own players to 8-year deals. Free agency will still begin on July 1.
> Contract salary variance will be capped at 35 percent for new deals, with the lowest-paid season not dropping below 50 percent of the value of the highest-paid season.
> The players received an entirely revamped pension plan, which is a big win since owners will now assume liability, and it will be setup in a style similar to the one baseball players receive.
> Divisional realignment will not take place until the 2013-14 season.
> All 14 teams which do not make the playoffs will have a crack at the No. 1 overall pick in the lottery process.
> Revenue sharing between teams will be amped up to $200 million, with a $60 million growth fund put in place.
> Olympic participation in 2014 in Sochi, Russia, by NHL players still needs to be worked out.
For now, many details need to be sorted out. Players need to return from overseas. Fans need to gear up for a sprint toward the Stanley Cup. Thankfully, a new deal will ensure that names will be engraved upon it this year.
“The negotiated agreement represents the successful culmination of a long and difficult road in which the parties ultimately were able to reach mutually acceptable solutions to a wide variety of contentious subjects of bargaining,” federal mediation and conciliation director George Cohen said in a statement. “Fans throughout North America will have the opportunity to return to a favorite pastime.”
For the latest updates, follow Frank Seravalli on Twitter: @DNFlyers
this is a sad, sad day...i was looking forward to a year without puckheads posting about needing to beat up the other team more...— lanzascat- LET'S GO FLYERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!— PHIILY YA DIG?
- Best present of the holiday season! I've been bleeding orange and black for a lifetime. I think , like 94-95, this is the Flyers best chance to make something happen with the offensive power they have. Bryz is the main concern, but we have a solid backup, and a way to remove the noose of his 7 years left contract. Amnesty will let him go back to whatever planet he really is from, and play there :) GO FLYERS GO!!— PhillyboyinNYC
- about time! will believe it when I see it.....— offshore
- great, another loser team back in action— 1stamendment
- Thanks to the lockout, the NHL will discover that a 48-game schedule is sufficient to develop playoff seedings, with far fewer injuries, and from now on resort to "playing" the first half of the season via the EA Sports NHL 20XX simulation to establish the "standings", which will start the playoff seeding competition each January.— icarus
- So glad this is over...if any consolation, this was great for the Flyers injured d-men. Bryz and Prong's contract will be cut loose after this season for the amnesties. This season will be intense...love it! And, I can't wait for the raucous boos to continue anytime Bettman addresses a home crowd. It was bad the last couple of years, can't imagine what it will be like this year.
- Are they only playing in philadelphia?— tobyjoe
- Welcome back boys, can't wait!!!— philadavephia
- Maybe they should narrow the season down to a three or four month period on a yearly basis.— MrPhilly
- If the average salary is 2.4 million, then most every player lost somewhere between $400,000 and 5 million based on league minimum to the top paid guy. The money will never be recovered and the pension plan cant offset that. All the income not earned and the taxes not collected on players and the loss of the little guys second job for half a season. All so Bettman and the players can have their "union" brother millionaires can continue to have welfare for failing franchises coming on the backs of the businesses that are profitable. NO bailouts in pro sports, enough of this has happened where the average person is bailing out corporations. I wish everyone would boycott the games and not go in person. If everyone just bought the center ice package or comcast or FIOS and just stayed home it would have more of an effect than the lockout. Hockey is a great sport/game, but the NHL is a smarmy slimy thing and I am including the players now as well as the owners.
Like I opened this comment, these people threw away more money than many of us earn in a very long time, for nothing— Steelmanpa - the lockout sucks, but if I were king of the world, EVERY hockey season would be 50 games or less with the season starting just around the superbowl. Let the games actually mean something! I would also use the shortened season as an excuse to change the teams points system to 3 points available every game, with 3 for a win, 2 for an ot win, 1 for ot loss, etc....— doc al
- Cool, now the Flyers can disappoint us too.— TVGuy22
- From the important 'nuggets' that were posted regarding the new CBA, this deal should have been worked out in a few weeks prior to the season starting. This is an absolute crock and the only victims are the fans. I am a life long Flyers fan, but they can take this season and shove it - I am angry and have zero respect or interest at this point.— CTL
- sklando, I can be really cynical and talk abt players smashing their cars up, but I won't.— watsonmr
- When Ed snider comes to where I work and root for my manager to pay me more, then I will spend 200 bucks on his flyers to make him richer. Unless you bet on professional sports, there is no sane reason to care whether or not a bunch of Russian millionaires win the Stanley cup.— Ouwachon
- who really cares after the 19000 koolade drinkers.....but "fighting on ice" is back and the faithful will don thier sweaters and cheer for blood.....Yes, another shortened meaningless season...guess the the old boys club of owners got to the give back date on the tv money......— nuggett
- It was worth it in order to get 2 amnesty buyouts. I wish they would extend to farther then next offseason,— Sidewinder7
- Good. Does the agreement get rid of team in FL and other cities which don't support teams? Why waste time and money? Oh, yeah, forgot, they put more money in the owners' pockets even while dragging the game down.— mike l
- hahaha..from the guy calling himself a union fan...come on bro...hahaha— philly thug
- F them both. No money for you...1 year. See you next New Year, if the league is still around— 2ndNlong
- For the idiots posting here who obviously don't like hockey, go back to your basketball games and cheer on your prima donnas. The rest of us are happy that our focus on minor league and junior hockey can now move towards a chase at The Cup. While I'm ticked that it took so long, I'm happy that the next time this happens I will be retired.— jlmfl
Comment removed.- Hahaha, a soccer fan, that's almost too comical. Adjust your skirt and go back to your 3rd world sport. — spittooncj
- I'm a diehard Flyers fan! I really do bleed orange! But this lockout was garbage! Got to facebook and check out "Just Drop It". Every hockey fan should jump on board!!!!— gnit2
- Can you blame all the negative people...they grew up in Philly!! I was the same way....get out of the city for a while....there's a whole world of positive people out there...its amazing to see the rest of the world isn't a bunch of miserable sobs with talk radio and media spitting even more negativity in your face 24/7....its sickening that's the way it is in philly. With that sid, I will ALWAYS be a die hard flyer and hockey fan, and I assume most of you are too, even the ones that can't help themselves from posting negative comments...its ok, I get it..sad, but I get it. Go Flyers.— philly thug
- Thug, I completely agree. I moved to Cali 20 years ago and while I remain a diehard Philly sports town I have other things that bring me joy. I go home frequently and notice the negativity people revel I back home. Peace. — owl87
- Snider is the most overrated owner in the history of sports!!! The last time the Flyers won anything Gerald Ford was President. That's 37 years. If you add his tenure of running the 76ers, this guy has'nt won anything in half a century. Overrated!! Name me another owner who has run something for 50 years and not won a championship. Maybe the Wrigley Family. ALl you knucklehead Flyers fans with blind loyalty. You should treat this guy like you did Lurie and Giles and the rest.— TheOnionPeeler
- Happy Birthday,Ed Snider, and thanks for all you have done to make Philly a more dynamic town.— gotedge
- zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz— Genghis
- Yawn! I'm a former season ticket holder and annual subscriber to NHL ticket and decided I'm over their league. College hockey is where it's at.— owl87
- When the previous lockout ended, I was excited, but this time I can honestly say I'm apathetic. I see there is an opt out clause in 8 years, which means we'll be going through this again in 2021.
What I would like to see included in this new CBA is a slush fund, paid for by both the owners and players, so that when they do have another lockout ( and we know they will ) the ones most affected by the lockout ( vendors, seat attendents, and all stadium personnel ) still get paid as if the game were going on. Now that would be something refreshing to see in these millionaires vs. billionaires squabbles.— C-Note - Line up, suckers.— sjfella
- There should be a total boycott of the first game (at least) in every arena.— brio
- Pitchers and catchers report in a little over a month. The NHL really screwed the pooch on this one— rlovingjr
- Think it is great that they got this worked out, but I think it would be a fitting punishment if no one showed to the first game they play. We, as fans, tend to make allowances for this type of behavior like we are sheep and now will be so grateful that the game has been restored. I say let them know that it is our prerogative whether or not we watch or are interested.— joeman59
- WHO CARES!! wish they would have skipped the whole season— stayoutofphilly
- Get lost, A-hole! — hvitoloco
- I care and am pretty darn excited hockey is back. I suppose if somehow you have little in your life and you take the strike personnaly, you may be angry, but really you should be happy hockey is back.— LGbalsac
- bryz is a lock to be amnestied - regardless of how he performs this year— zwarte piet
- sort of ironic that they spend four months fighting over a $10M disparity in salary cap but look forward to dumping $23M to get rid of one player they screwed up signing.
What a Bryzaster.— raoool - Ken - I posted because I'm bored and it's fun to get all the hockey lovers riled-up. These comment boards provide great entertainment because of how serious some people take themselves and their opinions. Checking them out is a good way to kill time on a quiet Sunday morning.— jkjchs
- LOL Don't miss the Wildcard games starting at 1 with the Colts vs Ravens, the Skins vs Hawks at 4.
- ssIO73. Don't like hockey? Then go and watch your stupid, boring bassetball!— hoverer
- This sucks— Jay Grace 69
- Better than nothing for a hockey fan. I'm amped. Now its just a matter of waiting to see how much the "Center Ice" hockey package will be.— dogman5
- "We’ll be talking to the fans, most importantly" ... Bettman told reporters.
Don't bother, ozzweepay. Already cancelled our season tix and won't be renewing after 23 years. Unless the new deal includes a 33% vote for we fans and ratification of anything (including ticket prices) requires a 68% majority, I am voting with my dollars best I can today and assuring none of them go to such a screwed up league.
Love the Flyers. love hockey. but the chord's been cut— raoool - Agree canceled mine after many years too. To show you how dumb the Flyers Ticket Representatives are. The guy was like you'll never be able to get back in the building again? Is he aware of how many empty seats there are on most nights? Or the number of tickes on stub hub for less than face value? — irish22
- Still the greatest sport in the world....Either you get hockey or you dont..Those of us who do understand how great it is...Those that dont so be it watch your other sports..it is a little complicated for some people....Drop the puck lets get going..cant wait for the BRYZ fiasco— flyers1000
- As one of the cities who already has representation in the three major sports this is disappointing. Now we have to endure local and network sports coverage time to a "B" list league of a "B" list sport. I was hoping it would just go away.— jgalt52
- Hockey....is that still a sport? When will "fans" wake up, baseball strike, basketball strike, NFL, NHL strikes.......keep diggin' in your pockets to support their absurd salaries while they "stick it" to you (pun inteneded).— STEPHEN1988
- Come up with some new lines. They way you ignorantly babble, your name should be Stepanie. — hvitoloco
- joedog - actually, no one cares what a zero such as you and the other a-hole think. you are essentially, the 'short, fat and bald' guys who sit in the living room watching TV all weekend. Get a life and contribute something other than your meaningless babble!— hvitoloco
- At least its settled.— Poppys
- If you don't care, why read the article AND THEN waste your time posting on top of that? Like Thumper says "If you don't have anything nice to say, then STFU"— cheesesteak0
- News flash, It's the Devils and Rangers the Flyers can't beat, some of you idiots think like the Flyers and worry to much about the Penguins.— easy
- Actually the Flyers dominated the Devils in regular season play last year. It was in the Eastern Conference Semis that Larry Robinson's defense proved that Lavi's "pressure the puck" system doesn't work in tight-checking games. But Robinson has left NJ and so has Parise, so they'll be weaker. Don't remind me that Lavi won the Cup in 06. He had been out of hockey and teams weren't prepared for his system as they are now and he played the number 8 seed Oilers in the Cup Finals.
- about time a freaking real Mans sport is back, if I have to watch a overweight criminal run around the field to catch a ball ill scream! Hope we play Pens 6 times just to really tick off philly fans...Go Flyers— bigtom blew3
- My Rocket Man Bryz splashes down in four days!— Romus
- We should fire Holmgren and hire the BC coach to run the organization. Flyers will never win under current management because they don't have a clue.— casehop
- Someone tell Servalli the difference between "inter" and "intra". He states that the shortened schedule will likely only include inter-conference match-ups. He should be saying "intra-conference" match-ups. "Inter" means between while "intra" means within. Where did this guy go to grammar school anyway???— flying pig
- Yes, now we can get a shot at punching Crosby in the mouth on the first day of the season!!! Drop the puck and gloves. Go get him Giroux.— Dr. D.
- So the Flyers failed to bankrupt Nashville?— TongueWagger
- The NHL Players won this one BIG! Don Fehr AGAIN toasts the owners! The best the owners could do is the cap reduction and the 35% raise increase. That's not much to win from what they were asking. Let's drop the puck!— defiore14
- who cares— jkjchs
- Certainly not about you, fool. Stick with the NBA. — spittooncj
- As a florida resident/flyers fan, NHL ticket better be next to nothing, to bring the fans back. Are you hearing me owners/players???— The Young Geezer
- per Chicago - "Does anybody know what time it is, does anybody really care."— watsonmr
- WHat an a-hole you are! — hvitoloco
- Describing one's feelings for the NHL season by citing a group who is notorious for having a member die playing Russian Roulette. How poignant. — sklandog
I care. I am starved for a game with Philly team that matters.— Earl J- Fans should boycott the 1st 5 games. When can we expect the next lockout so we can mark our calendars.— LCBline
Too little; too late.— ColKurtz- A shortened hockey season is still too long.— ss1073
- Go play soccer then. — spittooncj
- Does anyone really care?— joedog
- Simply go away then, you add no value to anything. You won't be missed. Idiot. — spittooncj
- joedog & jkjchs: If you guys don't care about hockey, why are you posting on a hockey story? A short season has it's advantages.
Games will be more meaningful and players won't "take games off" as they sometimes do during the long 82 game season. The disadvantage is that it will probably be intra-conference play and we won't get to see the Flyers against the western teams.
But I'll take it, I'm dying for some hockey. - I completely agree, Ken. The shortened season will be much more intense. I do regret the fact that we won't get to see the Flyers in person out here, but NHL Center Ice allows us to see every Flyer game, so we'll live.
Go Flyers!— backhand - I agree completely ! I was also angry about the lockout however, it does make me chuckle that people who supposedly couldn't care less and publicly shout that they hate hockey and say hockey sucks etc actually take the time to read NHL related stories. If you hate it all so much why are you wasting your time reading stories about it ? I am thrilled the lockout is over and we will be seeing the Flyers back on the ice again !
— MaineFlyersFan - Fans should offer to pay $10 max per ticket.— ptahan
- yeah but other teams wont be able to do it either. just be happy we have G. and Couts.— ChampAnderson
- As much as I'm looking forward to the puck finally being dropped again, my fear is that the Flyers chances of winning a Cup in the near future under the new CBA won't be any bigger than they were under the old set of rules. The Flyers will not be able to dish out front-loaded, back-diving contracts like they did in previous years, e.g. with Pronger. This will make it a lot harder to lure some of the established stars from other clubs to Philly. The amnesty clause is a good thing, though. This gives Homer a chance to deal with the Bryz situation in a flexible way.— flyerdommo
- Now the Flyers can trade for Weber because with their current "D" it'll be 39 years until the next shot at a Cup.— schnitzelboy
