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Boxing, against odds, electrifies in spite of promoter shenanigans

2012-09-17T04:17:41Z

]]> After much justified handwringing over the fact that boxing's two primary promotional entities refused to budge from holding big fight cards on the same night in the same town, the crowded marketplace was put to the test on Saturday night.

Top Rank and Golden Boy held events just miles apart in Las Vegas (Apologies, in my setup piece I said the fights would take place in Los Angeles and Las Vegas). Given boxing's propensity for foot shooting, it was a minor miracle that the bouts went down without controversy.

On the contrary. There were large, passionate crowds at both venues (though each promoter was accused of doing a wee bit of fibbing in terms of publicizing how big) and the quality of entertainment overall was terrific.

We witnessed: Two plausible fight of the year candidates, another overwhelming win for a rising star, and a dominant performance for a 22-year-old who's on the precipice of a superfight.

Oh, and in the biggest bout of the night we were treated to both a virtuoso performance and one of the most thrilling final rounds in boxing history.

The night came off so well that some boxing fans and bloggers were saying that it was a great idea to have so much condensed activity, but that's folly.

It's bad enough boxing is ghettoized to late Saturday night, which basically ensures no mainstream sports coverage even if the Caucasian-dominated general sports media were anything but oblivious to the these events that appeal to thousands of Latin fans, the fastest growing demographic in the U.S.

But it's not a good idea to confuse the uneducated or potential fan, and it's never good to force your loyalists to shell out more money or force them to make a choice.

Given that these two companies haven taken their bickering to a high school level, in the final summation the Top Rank card was the party that you had to make an appearance at because it was the biggest, while Golden Boy's was a bit more gritty and fun.

I watched one card live and one card Sunday morning without knowing the results. Here are my thoughts:

Guillermo Rigondeaux W 12 Robert Marroquin

When you see Rigondeaux's 11-0, 8 KO record you might think you're in for a potentially exciting evening, but he's not really that kind of fighter. This may sound counterintuitive, but if you go into the fight not expecting anything exciting from Rigondeaux, you actually get more out of it because you'll be able to focus on his unbelievably subtle and advanced offensive game. He uses every punch in the book and expertly sets up his opponent with feints and body movement. If a knockdown can be described as exquisite, his number on the American in the 12th fits the bill. It is true the Cuban was shaken on two separate occasions so you have to wonder how is going to fare against the very best of foes down the road.

Matthew Macklin KO 1 Joachim Alcine

Alcine should be proud he's one of a select few Canadians to hold a professional boxing title. We even televised one of his bouts in a very brief foray into fight game in 2007. But it's clear at this point that he should be considering his career options. This was his second first-round blowout defeat on a big card in just over two years.

Roman Martinez W 12 Miguel Beltran

An absolute corker, fight of the night in my opinion. Sustained action, you could make a case for either guy winning. It was a split decision and I actually had Beltran winning by three points. Thought he had the crisper punches and he snapped Martinez head back frequently. Martinez was probably more consistent in terms of work rate, and it's true the Beltran face look like it had been hit with a baseball bat by the end. Round 5 represented everything we love about boxing. Rematch!

Sergio Martinez W 12 Julio Cesar Chavez

The biggest fight of the night though maybe not the most important (more on that in a bit). Martinez showed he was a cut above the opponent 11 years his junior by dominating for 11 rounds. It even looked like a stoppage was in the offing during a one-sided seventh. Chavez didn't have too much interest in engaging for most of the night, but he landed a desperate left that hurt Martinez badly in the 12th. The Argentine hit the deck, endured about 30 desperate seconds, and then started firing back with reckless abandon until the bell rang.

So if we're going to ask what would have happened if there was still another round or more to go, we should at least be fair and ask what if the two guys were within 10 pounds of each other. It was obvious that at minimum Chavez was 10 pounds heavier than Martinez due to his penchant for sweating down to weight and rehydrating to a ridiculous degree in the 28 hours from weigh-in to fight time. Does his punch even make an impression without that size advantage? If there is a rematch I would like to see an edict fighters must weigh in on the day of the fight as well and can only gain a certain amount of weight from the official weigh-in the day before.

Leo Santa Cruz KO 5 Eric Morel

If only all corners were as humane as Eric Morel's. Some of the most one-sided 10-9 rounds I've seen in a while. Santa Cruz is the boxing's 2012 comer, putting together a second straight dominant performance. There's no physical resemblance, but stylistically he reminds me of Ray Mancini in terms of non-stop punching output.

Marcos Maidana KO 8 Jesus Soto Karass

This was the second fight of the year candidate and what these guys lacked in skill they made up for in will. Maidana was winning overall but had been hurt badly to the body in the middle rounds. Some people had a problem with the referee stoppage but I did not as Karrass's head was getting snapped back regularly

Daniel Ponce De Leon Tech. Dec. 8 Jhonny Gonzalez

If this fight occurred on another night or without the two other great fights I've mentioned, it would have seemed entertaining enough instead of ho-hum. Some expected the kind of fireworks that would've undoubtedly happened if these guys had met at junior featherweight about five years ago, but since then they've taken hard knockout losses and modified their styles so as to minimize the firepower coming back at them. This was a career-best performance from De Leon; I had him up by three points at the time of the stoppage

Saul Alvarez KO 5 Josesito Lopez

No point wasting too many words on this predictably one-sided affair for Alvarez, but it was arguably the most important fight of the night because Alvarez is poised to meet a Miguel Cotto or Floyd Mayweather in the next 12 months. I would really love to see Alvarez against Cotto. I could see Alvarez ending Cotto's career with a comprehensive beating, but I could just as easily see the resourceful Cotto using every trick he knows to win a clear decision.

Another tough break for Troy

Troy Ross of Brampton, Ont., came out on the short end of a 12-round decision against Yoan Hernandez in a cruiserweight bout in Germany.

I had Ross up by two points but he received some curious advice given he's 37 and this could be his last shot, as well as the fact that no hardcore boxing fan can remember the last time a road fighter won a close fight against a German-backed opponent, as Hernandez was.

Rookie CFL official learns breaks of the game

2012-09-17T02:46:46Z

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It was also filled with strong reports back to head office that seem to have ensured the Winnipeg resident will be back at it again next year.]]>
It was also filled with strong reports back to head office that seem to have ensured the Winnipeg resident will be back at it again next year.

Paradowski was five minutes away from the end of his sixth regular season game in Week 9 at Montreal, when an innocuous shove in the back by Als' guard Ryan Bomben, sent Hamilton end Brandon Boudreau into the umpire's right knee.

He grimaced. He clutched it. The Montreal doctor said it was a bone problem, not a ligament. It felt OK. Pardowski finished the final five minutes. It became painful in the dressing room and, well, he couldn't walk.

It was fractured, you see, and he's in the middle of a six-week recovery in a full leg brace.

And you thought football players were tough.

"When I went in the dressing room, we did our post-game in there and I put some ice on it," says Paradowski, an experienced college official who specialized in umpire, the most dangerous position on the field because you sit right behind the linebacker in the middle of the action.

"After sitting down and relaxing for a little bit, I got up to grab a shower and couldn't walk on it anymore."

There was a crack on the tibial plateau, where the big bone forms the knee.

One of the first to check on Paradowski after he was hit was referee Andre Proulx, who by coincidence was the crew chief at his first game in Edmonton on Week 1. Proulx had suffered a small heart attack that day and was just getting back to action in Week 9.

Paradowski has joked the league may keep him around if he can stop running into people, but there doesn't seem to be much chance he won't get another call next year when, once again, the CFL makes room for young officials in the first half of the season prior to Labour Day.

George Black, who runs the shop, has been nothing but effusive in his praise of the New Brunswick native every time he's asked, pointing to Paradowski's presence as something that has caught everyone's eye.

It's Kipling-esque - If you can keep your head while two 300 pounders are wrestling for their lives less than a yard away...

"I think the hits are something you get used to," Paradowski says. "When you are watching on television, you can see the collisions coming before they happen. But as an umpire, you don't have the same kind of view."

Things happen in a split second, and through instinct and experience you understand where they are coming from and how not to be there when it happens. The sound, however, that's something else.

"If you can hear [a big hit] on TV, you can imagine how much force it is when the hit is two feet away."

Surviving in the CFL trenches, where everything is happening so much faster than you are used to, is as much about preparation as it is perspiration.

"You get a sense of what teams will do in certain situations, based on what position they have [on the field], what play they've just finished, is it going to be a pass, is it going to be a run," Paradowski says.

"You watch the line, try and read the line and the tackles, what stance they're in, what they've done in the past, and sort of anticipate what play it might be."

He also picked up a CFL-level understanding of when to move forward on pass blocking to cover the line, or such things as being aware of guys doing crossing routes.

"Peripheral vision in that case is really helpful."

Leading to the story of the streaker.

"We were in B.C. and we had a streaker on the field, with no clothes," Paradowski said. "I remember watching the guys in the past, if a guy would go near a player they'd get more than they bargained for."

Not this time.

"I asked one of the players and he said 'I'm not going near the guy.'"

So security got him.

Paradowski will heal up and then do some Canadian university games this fall, with the goal of maybe working in the Vanier Cup national championship at Toronto.

Whatever happens, the memories of this CFL rookie will always be sharp.

"It was wonderful. It was amazing. It was great," he says. "Just the level of athleticism of the players, and the professionalism of the officials and the coaches, there's nothing to compare it to."

Look for No. 45, the guy in the white hat, at a CFL game near you next summer.

CFL Power Rankings: Week 12

2012-09-17T02:06:51Z

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	1. B.C. LIONS [Unchanged] Overall record: 8-3 Streak: Won 2 Cliché alert: Now we've learned the only team that can beat the Lions right now are the Lions themselves. Three key turnovers kept the Argos in the game right to the end. While this was going on, the Lions were building up some impressive yards against a good defence, and being strong themselves on the other side of the ball. Worries? OK, let's toss one in there - in the fourth quarter the defence loosened up and allowed Ricky Ray to get on track. Nice to have problems like this, by the way, because it's solvable. Great to see Geroy Simon back with his six catches and 117 yards.
	2. CALGARY STAMPEDERS [Up from 3] Overall record: 7-4 Streak: Won 4 White Stallions are at full gallop now after three weeks playing the B side of the CFL. And they have two more of those coming up before running into B.C. again. LaMarcus Coker (5-for-79) did a nice job spelling Jon Cornish from the backfield as the latter gained just 53 yards on 15 carries. When they needed snot-knocker yards, however, Cornish was there for two TDs. Nik Lewis and his 10,000-plus career catching total is a force of nature, despite that little tummy in the front there. You just can't take your eyes off him. Stamps could be at 9-4 by Week 15.
	3. MONTREAL ALOUETTES [Down from 2] Overall record: 7-4 Streak: Won 1 Strangest second half for this offence all season. The sharp and smart outfit from the first 30 minutes against Saskatchewan sputtered and ground like a rusty '69 Matador through the second. Why it happened is something for coach Marc Trestman to work out, but the effect is a continued erosion of the idea that winning in Montreal is a slim chance for visitors. Bad timing as well because Toronto is coming in to play for first place in the East. RB Brandon Whittaker was terrific in this game but how long will that knee injury keep him out?
	4. TORONTO ARGONAUTS [Unchanged] Overall record: 6-5 Streak: Lost 1 Not going to worry about the Argo offence taking three quarters to find the range against the league's best team. Great they were in a position to win in the final seconds. Am going to worry about the missing Chad Kackert and his leg injury. Toronto needs him back pronto, and it could be this week. Am going to worry about the ridiculous number of penalties this team is taking, keeping opposing drives going and killing its own. Coach Scott Milanovich came in saying his No. 1 job was to instil discipline. Now would be a good time.
	5. SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS [Up from 6] Overall record: 5-6 Streak: Lost 1 Drew Willy played like a rookie QB again in Montreal, certainly, but he also showed there's some talent there. Problem, however, is this isn't the time for the Riders to be breaking this guy in if it's not necessary. If Darian Durant is ready to go for the next game, you play him. Riders' defence is finding itself now and was strong against Montreal, a game Saskatchewan could have won with a few less mistakes (including those four turnovers). Three weeks ago they looked like gophers (sorry, Gainer), now they have teeth again. Stay tuned.
	6. EDMONTON ESKIMOS [Down from 5] Overall record: 5-6 Streak: Lost 3 Everyone wants to talk about the QB situation (Kerry Joseph? Steven Jyles? Matt Nichols?). And the five sacks allowed. And all the turnovers. But, let's chat defence. Yes, they've suffered a lot of injuries, especially along the front there, but more than 550 yards allowed to Hamilton? Over 400 yards passing by Henry Burris? Two of the last three games have not been good for a unit that really should be among the league's best. Now back to offence. Pick a starting QB. Pick a starting RB. Let's go.
	7. HAMILTON TIGER-CATS [Up from 8] Overall record: 4-7 Streak: Won 1 No idea if this means the Kitties have their claws back, but for one day they looked like the team we thought they'd be. Smilin' Henry Burris had a good outing, apart from the picks, and RB Avon Cobourne showed some flashes of his old self on the way to 121 yards on 18 carries. Best of all, the defence, with a couple of new faces traded in, had some jump to it, keeping a heavy rush on the Eskimos all day. A playoff spot for Hamilton looks a distinct possibility again.
	8. WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS [Down from 7] Overall record: 2-9 Streak: Lost 4 Before Paul LaPolice was fired, the team wasn't winning much (2-6) but it was competitive for the most part. Now, it isn't winning at all and stinks. It's GM Joe Mack's world and the great Bomber fans are only living in it.

NHL lockout 2nd take: Fan's comment of the day

2012-09-16T18:49:04Z

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Normally we only run one per day but this comment was so good, it deserved to be posted today.

Here's Sunday's second comment from a CBCSports.ca user out of Quebec who goes by the handle VPNisFreedom:

"Both the players and owners have alienated the average fan for the last time. The problem is that we can relate neither to the billionaire nor the millionaire.

We the fans relate instead to our working class brethren - those who clean the arenas, scan the tickets, and sell you your beer and popcorn. We relate to the local bar owner who counts on NHL games to fill seats, and who counts on filled-seats to feed his family. We connect to the waitress whose Saturday-night tips help pay her tuition, and we understand the busker who play music outside the stadium to make some much-needed cash on the side.

Yet in all the talks, through all the discussion - I have not heard one word about those who will suffer the most: the working-class members whose jobs will be terminated or negatively affected if the NHL does not drop the puck this season.

There is one truism that the fans can take away from this ordeal: Neither the owners nor the players care about you. The owners don't care b/c their prerogative is the 'ceaseless accumulation of capital,' so whatever makes that happen will happen, lockouts included and possibly even game-management to procure profitable outcomes.

The players don't care b/c they are former working-class members who have struck it rich. They have moved up the class ladder - a difficult accomplishment - and many do not look back down. Egos become difficult to control with that much money. If players cared, they wouldn't become SCABS and play in Europe, thereby taking a job away from someone who likely needs it more than them. If players cared, they would instead hit the picket lines, as this job action should be their main priority. If this labour dispute is so important, why do the players run away as soon as the situation becomes difficult?"

Want to share your opinion? Do you think you have a comment that could save the hockey season? Tweet me @JordanShifman or post a comment to our Facebook page at Facebook.com/CBCSports and come back every day to see what fans like you had to say.

Summit Series: Valuable time to get it all together

2012-09-16T16:38:47Z

]]> The sounds of boos and jeers continued to ring in the ears of Team Canada players after their 5-3 Game 4 loss to the USSR in Vancouver. Who would ever have imagined Team Canada actually looking forward to the "friendly confines" of the Soviet Union? They were the enemy. They were Commies. We were right, they were wrong. We wore white, they wore black.

The script did not contain a scenario where Team Canada would trail the Soviet Union, 1-2-1 as they prepared for Moscow. There was no scene written where they were booed and jeered in Vancouver from the pre-game warmup to a hostile, even vile reaction from a faction of fans in attendance at Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver.

Meanwhile our neighbours to the south were enduring their comparable unthinkable sporting nightmare. The final days of the Summer Olympics in Munich included the gold-medal game in men's basketball between the United States and the Soviet Union on Sept. 9. The United States had a perfect 63-0 lifetime record.

That perfect record came to a screeching halt as they lost 51-50 in one of the most controversial moments in Olympic history. Down, 50-49, the Soviet Union was given three different opportunities to inbound the ball with three seconds left on the clock. The third attempt resulted in the winning basket being scored as the buzzer sounded. The Americans appealed without success. Later at the awards ceremony, the large podium for the silver medalists remained empty as Team USA refused to accept it silver medals in protest.

The USA basketball team had to wait four years to get things back on track at the next Summer Olympics. Team Canada was expected to do it in two weeks time and on a road trip like no Team Canada player had ever experienced.

Hockey in Sweden was invaluable

Included in the two-week break between the games in Canada and the games in the Soviet Union was a scheduled trip to Sweden. Team Canada played two games against the Swedish team in Stockholm on Sept. 16 and 17. Alan Eagleson wanted the players to get used to the larger ice surface.

It turned out to be just what the doctor ordered. It took the players away from the seemingly hostile environment back in Canada. In reality, while they players had vivid memories of the wrath of the Vancouver fans, Canadian hockey fans were actually affected by the powerful post-game interview by Phil Esposito. That had been galvanized to put their support behind the now surprisingly "underdog" Team Canada.

The stop in Sweden served as the days that brought Team Canada together off the ice as well. Most Canadian members say this is when they truly became a team rather than a group of individuals.

The first game in Sweden was also an introduction to two key individuals for the upcoming games in Moscow. The referees for the first game in Sweden were Josef Kompalla and Franz Baader.

In a few weeks, Canadian hockey fans had given them the nickname "Baader and Worst"!

Day 1: NHL fan's comment of the day

2012-09-16T14:29:58Z

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So until the game we love returns, we will highlight one fan's take on the current situation in the NHL each day.

Here's Sunday's comment from Tim Longman via Facebook:

"The NHL is like a Pizza.... You have the boring, bland crust that holds together all the yummy toppings. Without all that pizza dough all the toppings would be all over the place though. Without the toppings the dough isnt palatable. Its called working together! They are both equally important! 50-50 sounds right!"

Want to share your opinion? Do you think you have a comment that could save the hockey season? Tweet me @JordanShifman or post a comment to our Facebook page at Facebook.com/CBCSports and come back every day to see what fans like you had to say.

NHL, players face another lengthy battle

2012-09-15T20:36:41Z

]]> As expected, there were no late-game dramatics on Saturday. There was no final bargaining session between the NHL and NHLPA. As a result, the NHL entered its third lockout in the past 18 years. NEW YORK - Sept. 15, 2012 proved to be another miserable day for the NHL in an era that has seen a cycle of dysfunction between the league and its players.

As expected, there were no late-game dramatics on Saturday. There was no final bargaining session between the two sides.

After conversations between NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly and NHLPA's No. 2 man, Steve Fehr, earlier in the day, Daly finally made it official that there would be no final bargaining session before the midnight ET lockout deadline. What a shocker, we jest.

The two sides have agreed not to meet until either the NHLPA or NHL has a new proposal to present. It could be a long wait.

This is the third lockout under NHL commissioner Gary Bettman. In 1994-95, the labour dispute lasted 103 days and reduced the season to 48 games. Eight years ago, Bettman cancelled an entire season with a Feb. 16 announcement. Now the two sides skate into more uncertainty.

There has been plenty of speculation that this lockout would elapse no longer than mid-December because both sides would not want to see the cancellation of the Winter Classic between the Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs on Jan. 1, 2013.

The annual outdoor game has become the NHL's regular-season showpiece and the basis for the television deal with NBC. Nobody wants to miss the accompanying HBO 24/7 series, either.

Another possible lengthy battle

But we're not convinced this lockout will be over by then. The last time the NHL endured a lockout, the NHLPA and NHL waited three months before they sat across from each other in a meaningful bargaining session. The two sides seem to be set up for another lengthy battle.

What was evident from the past few days in Manhattan was the NHLPA and NHL have become entrenched in its positions. The two sides are not negotiating, just presenting versions of their proposals. Both sides are out for the big win, not working together to find a solution.

In the next few days and weeks, we'll read about different players scurrying off to find roster spots in Europe. Training camps were supposed to open on Friday. The regular season was supposed to open its door on Oct. 11. Instead, we'll see announcements that exhibition games and then regular-season games will be cancelled.

So many will lose with this latest labour dispute. Referees and linesmen won't be paid. Thousands of arena staff will miss out, too. Local businesses that thrive during the NHL season also will be out of luck. The dedicated hockey fan will have a void to fill.

Alternatives

But we're here to help. There's always plenty of daily action with Steve, Lloyd, Michelle, Eileen and the gang on Coronation Street. Okay, you don't like that one.

Well, the AHL will have some stud-filled lineups this season. We saw players like Jeff Skinner, Jordan Eberle and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins assigned to their AHL teams in the past two days. In the last lockout, Jason Spezza, Eric Staal and Mike Cammalleri thrived in the AHL and made them better when they returned to the NHL.

There also are the junior ranks and one of the most underrated levels of hockey, Canadian university. The 2013 Memorial Cup will be played in Saskatoon in May. It would be something if Nathan MacKinnon of the Halifax Mooseheads could lead his club to the championship tournament like his fellow Cole Harbour, N.S. resident, Sidney Crosby, did with the Rimouski Oceanic in 2004-05.

There are 34 Canadian university programs, one probably near you. Try it, you'll like it.

Sometimes the hockey fan just has to take on other sporting endeavours. After all, we're well-rounded people. The Ryder Cup only is a couple weekends away. The CFL and NFL are in full swing. Major League Baseball is down to its final three weeks and the playoffs begin soon.

Before long we'll find other undertakings. And, if or when, the NHL and NHLPA get around to sorting out their dysfunctional relationship, we'll come back.

We always do, don't we.

Deadline Day: NHL fan's comment of the day

2012-09-15T16:56:23Z

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So until the game we love returns, we will highlight one fan's take on the current situation in the NHL each day.

Here's Saturday's comment from Rob McKenzie via Facebook:

"I say WE THE SPORTS FANS SHOULD STRIKE. we have a lockout looming in Hockey and replacement refs in NFL if we the fans went on strike and refused to pay to watch sports it would be amazing how fast these disputes were resolved."

Want to share your opinion? Do you think you have a comment that could save the hockey season? Tweet me @JordanShifman or post a comment to our Facebook page at Facebook.com/CBCSports and come back every day to see what fans like you had to say.

NHLPA's Mathieu Darche is a risk-taker

2012-09-14T20:58:49Z

]]> Mathieu Darche knew there was risk involved when he volunteered to join the NHLPA's negotiating committee this summer. If the pending lockout is a lengthy one, the former Montreal Canadiens forward wonders if he has played his final NHL game. NEW YORK - Mathieu Darche knew there was risk involved when he volunteered to join the NHLPA's negotiating committee this summer.

The former Montreal Canadiens left wing, who grew up in Montreal cheering for the Habs and idolized Mats Naslund, has been without a hockey home since he became an unrestricted free agent on July 1.

He turns 36 on Nov. 26, and because the impending NHL lockout, which is set to begin at midnight on Saturday, could last months, not weeks, Darche may have played his final NHL game.

There also is no guarantee that some owners and some general managers won't hold a grudge with a union man like Darche, making it even more difficult for him to find a place to play. But the thoughtful veteran is steadfast in his belief that his time alongside his brethren and NHLPA executive director Donald Fehr will be worth it.

"You're trying to make things better for the union," Darche said. "I know it's a bit of a risk. But players have done this before me in 1994 and 2004. You can go back as far as Ted Lindsay when you think of it.

"Just because I'm 35 and my career could be over if there is a long lockout, it would be pretty hypocritical of me to say let's play because it won't affect my salary that much and I'm at the end of my career."

Darche, a McGill commerce program graduate, has played 250 NHL games. Two years ago, when he scored his first goal for the Habs, he became the first McGill grad to score a goal for the Canadiens in more than 80 years.

But gaining a full-time roster spot in the NHL was not easy for Darche. He played football and hockey at McGill, and enjoyed a 27-goal, 62-point breakout season in 26 games in his final year with the Redmen, earning him all-Canadian status and an invite to the Columbus Blue Jackets' training camp.

He bounced back and forth between the AHL and NHL, and spent a season in Germany before he landed his first full-time NHL gig at age 31 with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2007-08. The previous year he was involved in the AHL labour dispute, and felt he not only gained respect from his peers but from some of the owners, too.

Before he jumped onto the NHLPA negotiating team, Darche sought advice from an NHL owner, two general managers and another two assistant GMs.

"Not one of them told me I shouldn't go," Darche said. "They all told me it would be a worthwhile experience. What I have been learning in the last couple of months you can't get in a business class."

Earlier this summer, Darche talked to a bunch of NHL teams in the hopes of gaining a roster spot. Whether or not he gets signed after the lockout remains to be sceen. But maybe he'll be back in the league one day working in a team's front office.

"It's something that has always interested in me," he said. "I studied this a bit at McGill and I was involved in [a labour dispute] in the AHL [in 2006]. In the AHL, some of the owners respected that I was involved and even some of the NHL owners say it's great that you're involved.

"I've said all along to reporters in Montreal that I would like to get involved in the business side of hockey after my career has finished. I'm gaining valuable experience just being around Donald Fehr the past two months and even Gary Bettman. We can say all we want about him, but he's not in his position because he's a stupid man."

Father, son on different sides in NHL lockout

Gregory Campbell said he lost interest in his father Colin's career the day he was no longer the New York Rangers head coach and turned in his whistle for an executive office in the NHL's hockey operations department.

The 28-year-old Boston Bruins forward didn't seem to be joking. Still, he was asked what sort of conversations about the league's labour problems he has with his Dad these days.

"This may sound pretty typical, but we don't talk about it," Gregory Campbell said. "It's something we've done my whole career. I tried to keep my business and his business separate. I don't think it's appropriate to mesh the two together, especially at this point.

"I have a job to do, and I'm with the players. He has his job to do with the league."

Gregory said his Dad always has been his role model and that he benefited from hanging around NHL dressing rooms when his father played and coached in the NHL. At a young age, Gregory often had a chance to step on the ice with the game's best players.

But he doesn't see his parents as often these days. He married his long-time girlfriend Katie this summer. They live in Kitchener, Ont., about 45 minutes from his Mom and Dad in Tillsonburg, Ont., but occasionally visit them at the family cottage.

"I talk to my Dad as much as any normal 28-year-old," Gregory said.

Day -1: NHL fan's comment of the day

2012-09-14T20:42:43Z

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So beginning Friday until hockey returns, we will highlight one fan's take on the current situation in the NHL.

Want to share your opinion? Send a tweet to @JordanShifman or post a comment to Facebook.com/CBCSports and come back every day to see what fans like you had to say.
]]> With a potential NHL lockout looming, not only do we here at CBCSports.ca want to help guide you through the labour rhetoric, but we also want you to have a voice.

So beginning Friday until the game we love returns, we will highlight one fan's take on the current situation in the NHL.

Here's Friday's comment from Daniel McDonald via Facebook.

"...the fact that remains is this is just completely sad. The kid in me who loves to watch Saturday night hockey is depressed and know how much of a disappointment this is for kids beginning to like their favourite teams around the world. I understand their are a lot of major issues this league has to solve, but for GODS SAKE why wasn't this solved in the summer!!!! For some of the most powerful, successful businessmen in the world this is pathetic. They will lose so many American fan bases all of this discussion over revenue sharing will be pointless because the sport can never grow in this fashion."

Want to share your opinion? Do you think you have a comment that could save the hockey season? Tweet me @JordanShifman or post a comment to our Facebook page at Facebook.com/CBCSports and come back every day to see what fans like you had to say.

A layman's view of the impending NHL lockout

2012-09-14T16:03:48Z

]]> Ron MacLean's thoughts that there definitely won't be an NHL lockout, I do remain on the glass half filled side of the equation. Maybe naively, but I will stay there for now, for the following reasons.

Saturday is when the CBA expires, but it is NOT the 11th hour. I don't exactly know when that moment will arrive, but not this Saturday. Both sides will work "harder" when it actually does arrive.

There are worries that none of the issues raised by the NHL have been dealt with. Things like free agency, the abolition of salary arbitration, front-loaded contracts, capping the length of contracts. These can't be touched until the financial picture is solved. How much of the financial pie will be part of the new salary cap? Since the majority of NHL teams spend at or close to the ceiling of the cap, that money might end up distributed in a different manner with other changes in rules. That exact amount has to first be determined.

It is as simple as the owners expressing their need for a larger percentage of that revenue pie. Similar to what occurred last year in the NBA and NFL. When the owners gave their first proposal that the players share should go from 57% of hockey related revenue (HRR) to 43%, the players contend that would mean a simple transfer of $450 million US from the players' side to the owners' side. That simple! If the owners are at 49%, as some have reported, that would reduce that transfer to $240 million.

Elliotte Friedman wrote an excellent piece about why the owners wanted to restructure how HRR is to be determined. One positive I see is that the owners have now backed off that stance and are willing to let the current system continue.

Court challenges no big deal

I have heard criticisms of "dirty pool" towards the NHLPA for filing legal procedures in Alberta and Quebec. That seems to indicate a hard line and bitter edge to what is going on. Relax! Court actions have been part of all major sports for decades.

Curt Flood took the major league baseball reserve clause all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. John Mackey won a big court battle to open up free agency in the NFL. It was Sonia Sotomayer, a federal trial court judge in the United States, who ended the biggest baseball labour dispute in 1995. Even last season, Drew Brees and Peyton Manning led a group of elite NFL players who filed anti-trust legislation against the NFL when they were locked out.

Players get good PR

This is the best managed public relations strategy that I have seen by the players. Bob Goodenow made the fans feel like they didn't matter, like they weren't an important piece of the NHL puzzle. Fehr has articulated things extremely well and has been bolstered by a strong show of support and strength from his players.

There is nowhere near the personal dislike between the two leaders as in previous labour stoppages. Goodenow had former NHL president John Ziegler for breakfast in how he bullied him in the 1992 players strike. Gary Bettman and Goodenow took their mutually differences (or dislike) to a higher level during the 1994 lockout and it evolved into something personal by the 2004 lockout.

The players are smart by not making statements that they aren't prepared to back up. Goodenow misread his constituent's solidarity in 2004 when they said they were willing to miss at least a season and a half to prevent any form of a salary cap. The players gave their support but common sense said they couldn't really follow through. And they didn't.

Getting a deal done

The big concern is the perception of a strategy by 12 U.S.-based NHL teams. They are mostly the weakest financially (a few exist in false hockey markets) but may also include Ted Leonsis in Washington. The NHLPA feels that this group has told Bettman to grind the NHLPA down as much as they can. Grind them and keep it going. Most of these teams struggle to sell tickets in the first part of the NHL season as they compete with baseball playoffs and the NFL. The argument is that these folks don't genuinely want to make a deal, they would rather blow off these weaker home games to get a great deal.

This is where the top 12 financially solvent NHL teams (including most Canadian teams) need to exert more influence in getting a "fair" deal done.

One easy solution for teams get to the new salary cap (whatever it is) will be to allow the teams to buy out NHL contracts without it counting towards the salary cap, which happened in 2005. Buying out a player like Scott Gomez, for example, will free up a lot of room for the Montreal Canadiens.

Here's one of my questions. Who will take a comparable role to what Bob Kraft of the New England Patriots did in the NFL Lockout? A "good cop" will emerge to help soften Bettman playing the "bad cop" for the time being on behalf of his NHL owners.

Like father for Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. against Martinez?

2012-09-14T04:50:26Z

]]> Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. can move firmly out of the shadow of his legendary father with a win Saturday night in a 12-round middleweight battle with Sergio Martinez.

You could actually make the case that Martinez (49-2-2, 28 knockouts) is as good a fighter as just about anyone the old man beat in his 115-bout career. He beat a lot of really good guys from the mid-1980s to late 1990s, but no more than a couple who possessed both the offensive and defensive attributes Martinez brings to bear.

The Chavezes are already in the mix when it comes to mentioning the best "overall" father-son combos in modern boxing history. That list includes Floyd Patterson and adopted son Tracey Harris Patterson, Leon and Cory Spinks, Wilfredo Vasquez Sr. and Jr., and Guty Espadas Sr. and Jr.

For their part, Roy Jones, Erik Morales and Floyd Mayweather are all headed to the Hall of Fame, but they far outpaced their journeymen fathers.

The prospect of Chavez (46-0-1, 32 KOs) taking on Martinez would have seemed preposterous 18 months ago, but the fight has become a more competitive prospect after the young gun posted wins over Marco Antonio Rubio and Andy Lee. Meanwhile, the 37-year-old Martinez was forced into the late rounds before dispatching Darren Barker and Matthew Macklin.

It will be entertaining, no doubt, but I really think some boxing observers are talking themselves into just how competitive a fight will be. Lee and Rubio are solid but limited fighters, yet they're the cream of the kid's crop. He spent years padding his record, and there are those who believe he should have two losses to his ledger if not for the judges.

I just struggle to see how a quick-fisted and footed guy who uses angles with decent chin and good power (Martinez) loses to a guy with wanting defence and lack of one-punch power (three stoppages in last 10 bouts). It's great that Chavez Jr. is dogged and throws in combos, but that could mean more opportunities to be countered.

The Mexican has inherited his father's penchant for strong bodywork, but that alone doesn't figure to be enought to topple one of boxing's current best champions. Martinez has stopped his last three opponents after the eighth round, and stamina has always been a concern for Chavez.

Chavez is the current fighter who benefits from day-before weigh-ins, much like Arturo Gatti used to. Chavez rehydrates to a striking degree and usually enters the ring with a 10 to 15 pound weight advantage. Against a certain caliber of opponent that's a big factor, but I don't think it will mean anything appreciable against Martinez.

If you believe Chavez has a shot, the fight you're probably honing in on is Martinez's decision win over Kelly Pavlik. It was an extremely close fight until the Ohio fighter's face busted open. Pavlik is probably a harder hitter with individual shots, but Chavez has a more fluid offensive game.

Chavez will have the crowd on his side Saturday night, but the fact he's a 2.5 or 3 to 1 underdog tells you how people really feel about his chances.

Hardcore boxing fans will need to get creative on Saturday with their DVR's and internet habits if they want to see the several great fights on tap thanks to the idiots behind Top Rank and Golden Boy once again offering duelling cards.

Top Rank is putting on the aforementioned big fight at Thomas & Mack in Las Vegas with a solid undercard, while Golden Boy offers up Saul Alvarez, their next big crossover star (they hope) against Josesito Lopez in Los Angeles, with a corker of an undercard bout in Jhonny Gonzalez-Ponce De Leon.

The two sides would argue that they're each going to have double-digit crowds for their offerings, in addition to strong television audiences (the GBP card is on Showtime in the U.S., Superchannel here in Canada).

But once again boxing is shoehorning nearly all of its activity into the busiest social night of the week, in a time frame that ensures a lack of media coverage even if the Caucasian-dominated sports press didn't completely ignore the big fights in boxing that involve two Latin fighters.

Quick hits

Yes, Chad Dawson was previously defeated at his more natural light heavyweight division by Laval native Jean Pascal, but last weekend's Andre Ward victory was more definitive and impressive. Dawson, who'd stood up to the likes of Glen Johnson and Antonio Tarver, had his will sapped after three Ward knockdowns.

I'm totally OK with seeing Manny Pacquiao against Juan Manuel Marquez a fourth time. First, Floyd Mayweather is fresh out of prison and not an option. More importantly, if you have either Pacquiao or Marquez winning all three of their previous bouts, sorry, but you're biased. I had Pacquiao ekeing the first two and Marquez winning last year's encounter.

Finally, boxing heads will be waiting anxiously for the mainstream idiots who threw the word "fix" around in the wake of Pacquiao's controversial loss to Tim Bradley (The theory being that the bad decision was to set up a lucrative rematch). Waiting ... waiting.

If you can find an internet stream, on Saturday afternoon, Canadian cruiserweight Troy Ross gets another shot at a title after getting shafted two years ago against Steve Cunningham. It doesn't look promising for the 37-year-old Ross given that he's fighting German-based Cuban Yoan Hernandez in Bayern.

NHL players united, not ready to budge

2012-09-13T23:18:14Z

]]> NEW YORK -- The tale of the tape for the two pep rallies weren't much different.

At one Times Square hotel, hockey superstar Sidney Crosby and the rest of the players threw their full support behind their NHLPA leadership group and its stance in negotiations so far.

Three blocks away at another hotel, NHL owners unanimously supported commissioner Gary Bettman and his negotiating team to impose a lockout if a new collective agreement can't be reached when the current one expires on Saturday night at midnight ET.

Unless there is some late-game dramatics, a third NHL lockout in 18 years is inevitable. But what appears different compared to seven years ago, when Bettman cancelled the entire season, has been the players' solidarity.

While owners have to zip their lips when asked about the CBA state of affairs, as per NHL bylaw 17-7, several of the 283 players who attended two days of meetings didn't shy away from voicing their opinions and their admiration for NHLPA boss Donald Fehr.

"Leaving this room after two days of saying to each other what would you really take, what are you willing to miss a paycheque for, after countless hours of that discussion, everyone looks at our proposal and says, 'How can that not be what we take?'" Calgary Flames forward Michael Cammalleri said. "What are we willing to do here? Where does it end?

"If we take their proposal, the next time around, they're still going to have the same excuses," he added. "It doesn't fix anything, it doesn't address any of the problems they said we know would make the league healthier.

"They're going to come to us with the same issues. Of course, they don't want to fix those problems because they want to be able to this to us again next time."

The two sides can't find a way to divide the $3.3-billion US in hockey-related revenues (HRR). In its latest five-year proposal, the NHLPA offered to drop its percentage of HRR from 57 per cent to roughly 54 per cent based on projections of 7.1 per cent revenue growth -- the average since the last lockout -- to more than 52 per cent.

The owners countered with a six-year deal that called for the players to take 49 per cent in the first year, 48 in the second and 47 in each of the final four seasons.

'Doesn't seem like a fair deal'

The NHLPA remains miffed that the owners want them to take another significant pay cut and refuse to alter the revenue-sharing system to help out the weak market clubs.

"There's been a lot of good things come from that partnership," said Calgary captain Jarome Iginla, who was referring to the deal struck in 2005.

"Now that revenues have been exceeded, they [the owners] come back and they say we still have problems. We say, as players, 'Okay, we're partners, let's share those problems.'

"We'll kick some back. You guys share from the top teams. They want us to take salary reductions, but the top teams will make even more money. It just doesn't seem like a fair deal. They're changing their tune with us players who have been through it before.

"You've got to draw a line. They'll just keep asking for more. It's not about sympathy. We want to get the game going.

"We know the game is in a good place. The fans have supported the game. We don't want to miss games. We don't want a month or two or three of sitting out.

"We're trying to get this deal done and be fair. We've given back. I think we've given back a lot."

'Make more owners read the facts'

Outspoken Buffalo Sabres goalie Ryan Miller had an idea to get a deal done.

"Make more owners read the facts that are coming out of our camp," he said. "I doubt that all the owners are as well informed as the players.

"I don't know if that's going to get me in trouble or not. But I just feel it's whatever they're told by Gary."

All in all, because the two sides remain separated by a wide gulf on salaries and haven't even bothered to negotiate off each other's proposals, even the usual optimistic Crosby doesn't see much hope.

"Right now, it's not looking great," he said. "It's tough.

"As a player, you just want to be play. This is not what we want to be doing in this part of the year."

Bettman should consider stepping away from talks

2012-09-13T22:31:03Z

]]> If I had to win one negotiation to save my life, Gary Bettman would be on the (very) short list. But, at this stage of the NHL's labour talks, his presence is more of a roadblock than a bridge.
Gary Bettman made it clear he's annoyed that the NHLPA doesn't seem to be taking the Saturday night end-of-CBA deadline seriously. But the honest truth is it doesn't mean anything. The pressure points arrive in October, and these deals don't get done until someone really stands to lose something.

So what we get is rhetoric. No progress, just lots of tough sound bytes. And a real glimpse of frustration bubbling beneath the surface. Earlier this week, NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly, annoyed by a wasted travel day, told Chris Johnston of The Canadian Press the NHLPA's attempts to declare the lockout illegal in Quebec and Alberta were "a joke."

When Donald Fehr said the league abandoned the battle in Alberta, Daly told RDS's Renaud Lavoie that "Don doesn't know what he's talking about." Bettman then waded in with his "limited-time-only" proposal Wednesday before adding Thursday that owners unanimously support his decision to lock out the players if the CBA expires without a new agreement.

About the commissioner, Zach Parise told The Chicago Sun-Times' Adam Jahns "He loves his lockouts." Meanwhile, Sportsnet's John Shannon quoted Jarome Iginla as saying the players have been "bullied" throughout this process.

Joffrey Lupul tweeted "I don't see why Gary thinks its [sic] in leagues [sic] best interest to try to turn the public against the same players that the league has to market."

Eight years ago, there was zero chance the NHLPA was getting any kind of new CBA without Bob Goodenow's head on a silver platter. The league/owners *hated* Goodenow and were going to 1) get a cap and 2) take him down. He'd done such a great job financially for his constituency that he had to be both defeated and removed.

Goodenow's plan was to sit out two years to "win." This was a Hindenburg-esque strategy. It was time for him to go.

Bettman and Goodenow couldn't stand each other because they are so similar. Driven, unyielding, possessed to prevail. This is their "hockey game." Someone once said that Goodenow loved the boardroom battles more than the on-ice ones. Bettman is probably the same.

The players don't have the ability to get Bettman fired. But I do believe they are starting to see him as the owners saw Goodenow. This will be the third stoppage of Bettman's tenure, which, depending on how you keep score, puts him with Bowie Kuhn (MLB, 1969-82) and/or Pete Rozelle (NFL 1960-89) atop the all-time leaderboard.

We've all dealt with the "bad cop" in negotiations. He or she is there to say all the things we don't like to hear. Sometimes, however, that bad cop needs to be removed because they become a deterrent to the process.

You don't trust them, don't believe them, don't want to hear a single thing they have to say.

For the players, Bettman has reached that point. If I had to win one negotiation to save my life, he'd be on the (very) short list. But, right here and right now, his presence is more of a roadblock than a bridge. Despite the craziness of this situation, there is room over the next couple of weeks to let someone else step in and see where we go. (That person is probably Daly. He was stranded at Toronto's Pearson Airport when he snapped. Any traveller can understand that.)

Now, there is about a 0.000000000000001 chance anyone at the league (or among ownership) is going to follow this advice. After all, Bettman is the bad cop, so someone else doesn't have to be. And he does have defenders who point out he's been privately respectful, both in these negotiations and recent rules meetings with the likes of Steven Stamkos and Jason Spezza.

(Surely, the league isn't thrilled with Fehr, but he's new to this process.)

Sometimes a fresh face or a new approach can make a difference. Bettman still wields the hammer and can ride in at the end to close the deal. But he is the one constant from 1994 and 2004. The people on the other side of the table see that. It's certainly possible that things are so SNAFU'd that it doesn't matter who's doing the talking. But if the NHL is serious about starting the season on time, what's the harm in switching your starting goalie?

NHL, NHLPA continue on lockout collision course

2012-09-13T00:05:51Z

]]> Unless there is a dramatic turn of events later this week, all signs indicate the NHL will lock out its players for the third time in the past 18 years on Saturday. NEW YORK - The message from Donald Fehr was loud and clear, even though the microphone the NHLPA executive director was to employ to address reporters for a second time on Wednesday went wonky.

Unless there is a dramatic turn of events later this week, all signs indicate the NHL will lock out its players for the third time in the past 18 years on Saturday.

The current collective agreement is set to expire at 11:59 p.m. ET on Saturday, but the only positive development with three days to go was that the two sides exchanged proposals on Wednesday. There still remains a wide gulf on what the NHLPA and NHL desire in a new deal, and time is running out.

Fehr and eight players visited NHL commissioner Gary Bettman on his turf in Manhattan for close to three hours after two weeks of relative inactivity between the two sides. The NHLPA made a five-year proposal - up from four - that called for less of a share of growth revenue, but there was no willingness from the players to decrease the $1.87 billion US in earned in total salaries in 2011-12.

The NHL then stepped away to prepare a counter-proposal, which Bettman described as "significant. But its latest salvo continued to ask for players to substantially reduce their salaries, and as a result, the offer did not sit well with the NHLPA.

While Bettman conceded that his side was willing to negotiate off its latest proposal, the commissioner gave the NHLPA a take-it-or-leave-it ultimatum. This offer from the NHL will come off the table by Saturday's deadline.

The NHL's counter-proposal on Wednesday afternoon included:

The league backed off its previous request to redefine hockey-related revenues (HRR), which would have further reduced the players' share. Players' salaries have been tied to HRR in the current collective agreement.
The length of the NHL's offer remains a six-year deal.
Players' salaries would be 49 per cent of revenues in the first, 48 per cent in the second and shrink to 47 per cent over the final four years. Players had 57 per cent in the current CBA.

"We are willing to limit future increases," Fehr said. "They want us to rollback salaries."

The NHL also continues to dismiss the NHLPA's call for the league to incorporate more revenue sharing to help out the weaker-market teams.

So where does this leave the talks with Saturday's deadline fast approaching? Fehr met with close to 300 players at a Times Square hotel on Wednesday evening and will finish up his information and question session with them in the morning. Bettman will convene with the league's board of governors on Thursday afternoon a few blocks away.

Both sides hoped there would be further sessions together the rest of the week, but because neither the NHL nor the NHLPA has been negotiating off each other's proposals there is little hope a new collective agreement could come together swiftly.

Fehr continued the NHLPA's line that they are willing to start training camps on Sept. 21 and the season on Oct. 11 without a deal in the hopes that a new CBA could be agreed upon during the season. But Bettman has stated that if there is no deal by Saturday, the players will be locked out.

Meanwhile, some of the European-born players have lined up roster spots in their countries and could play for these teams as earlier as Sunday. Some North Americans, like Sidney Crosby, also have expressed interest in playing in Europe and likely won't be far behind.