At the beginning of the year, Erik and I were walking through the Student Centre when a local lad noticed that I was wearing my Rovers shirt. Coming over to us he asked if that was my alliance. Once I realised that he was asking if that's who I supported he told me that he supports Newcastle United, for the sole reason that he likes to drink Newcastle Brown Ale - good a reason as any I suppose.
It turns out that this guy, Phil, is a Geography major and big sports fan. Doing Geography he was interested in things back in Sweden and England and offered to take us to an Ice Hockey game as that is his main sport. The problem at the moment is that the NHL is currently in a lockout due to disagreements with money and contracts. USA Today can probably explain things better than I:
The NHL and its locked out players have agreed to return to the bargaining table Monday to try to save the season.STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- The NHL and its locked out players will resume negotiating Monday to save the season.
- No positions have changed but the sides agree talking is better than nothing.
- More cancellations can be expected within a week if a new deal is not struck.
Conversations that restarted Friday between NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly and NHLPA special counsel Steve Fehr produced enough positive movement Saturday to set up another face-to-face meeting that the sides hope will lead to an agreement to save the hockey season.
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman suggested to union executive director Donald Fehr on Thursday the sides take two weeks off from negotiations. The union maintained its desire to keep talking, and now bargaining is back on.
Owners and players met for several consecutive days last week in New York, but made little progress. Negotiations ended in an angry exchange last Friday, but bargaining resumed two days later, only to break off again in just over an hour.
Staying apart never appeared to be a good option, and the NHL now seems to agree.
All games through Nov. 30 have dropped from the schedule. More cancellations are likely within a week. The Winter Classic has been wiped out, the All-Star game is the next big event in jeopardy and the whole season could be lost, too, if a deal can't be hammered out.
The players have stuck to their position that negotiations are the only way to work out differences, and that they are willing to meet any time suggested by the NHL.
The NHL contends the union has submitted the same proposal multiple times without moving in the league's direction. The union says it has agreed to come down from receiving 57% of hockey-related revenues to a 50-50 split. The league wants that to go into effect in the first year of the agreement, while the union wants to get there gradually.
Seven years ago, after the entire 2004-05 season was lost to a lockout, the players' association accepted a salary-cap system for the first time. The union feels it shouldn't have to bear the brunt of the concessions now after league revenues reached a record high of more than $3 billion last season.
This 63-day lockout has claimed 327 regular-season games, and hope of a new deal and the start of the already-shortened season - likely of 68 games per team - on Dec. 1 has started to wane.
It is more than just finances preventing a deal. The disagreements over player contract terms have emerged as just as big an impasse.
The NHL wants to limit contracts to five years, make rules to prohibit back-diving contracts the league feels circumvent the salary cap, keep players ineligible for unrestricted free agency until they are 28 or have eight years of professional service time, cut entry-level deals to two years and make salary arbitration after five years.
Once those issues are settled, the sides will then have to figure out who will cover the financial damage the lockout will ultimately do to this season.
Players missed their third pay day of the season Thursday, and the clock is ticking toward more losses. The 2004-05 season was canceled in February. A lockout in 1995 ended in January, leading to a 48-game schedule.
So with an NHL game out of the question for the foreseeable future, we managed to go to an AHL game. This is practically like going to a Championship game rather than Premier League back home in England, minus the chance of promotion. The teams in this league tend to have affiliation to a NHL team and act as a feeder club. Traditionally the lower in standard you go the less talent is available, but the players are a lot rougher resulting in more fights - yey!!
Getting some free tickets for the Connecticut Whale we took our seats and managed to avoid the $2 beers for the duration of the offer being the end of the first period. I've always enjoyed watching Ice Hockey and used to always buy the PlayStation games when I was younger. I don't know if it's because it is similar to football in ways, but with the addition of big hits and fights. It wouldn't surprise me if there was more coverage at home, I'd watch it more often. This game, however, was a bit slow. Connecticut have this inability to take advantage of power plays, with numerous times in the game having this one man, and once a two man advantage, they still failed to convert. Phil was furious that with 5 on 3, Connecticut still failed to even test the keeper. Ironically, the Portland keeper had recently transferred from Connecticut where he played for three years (I think) and was absolute garbage. Jeers from the crowd every time he managed to make a save didn't seem to put him off his game as he put in a good performance, much to the surprise of the home support. 
In the first period Connecticut had a goal rightly chalked off despite the light above the goal flashing, as the goalkeeper managed to stop the puck on the line. Connecticut's goalkeeper was called into action a couple of times making some fantastic saves to keep the scoreline level. In the second period the second fight of the game ensued with the referee having to jump in after the Portland player hit the ice because the two continued to throw punches. With it still 0-0 going into the last period, Portland scored two in quick succession leaving an uphill climb for the home side. Managing to get a consolation in the final minutes resulted in an entertaining end to the game as Connecticut swapped their keeper for an outfield player looking for the equaliser. However, I can't see how they expected to score when they were 6v5 when they couldn't score when it was 5v3? I can, however, now say that I have a favourite player: 
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Shoots: L
Height: 5-10
Weight: 204
2011-12 Team(s): NY Islanders (NHL) & Bridgeport (AHL)
Hometown: Guelph, Ont.
2011-12 Team(s): NY Islanders (NHL) & Bridgeport (AHL)
Hometown: Guelph, Ont.
Now this guy was in both fights and he wasn't even the player that was hit. At 5ft10in he may have a minor case of short man syndrome but whenever his team-mates get roughed up, he sprints across the ice and drops the gloves. Every cloud though, 2 fights - 2 Connecticut wins! I wonder if FIFA would ever consider allowing refereed fights in football?
The only video I could find, it seems to cut the end off though.
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As this is viewable by anyone remotely interested, I politely ask that you keep your language PG13 and abuse at a minimum. Cheers