From The Branches

Lots of talk late last night were that the owners/players only meeting was a rousing success and that the negotiations may have taken a big step towards ending this current lockout. Today should bring with it many stories about what transpired in that meeting and what the logical next

I can't see how this negotiation meeting between a bunch of relatively uneducated players and a group of experienced businessmen could work in the players' favour, but I don't really care. In other news, the Human Torch was denied a bank loan. A special Leaf

Here be your links. Marlies beat Monsters for Third Straight Win Good to see there's one good hockey team in Toronto. Projecting the US WJC Preliminary Roster Biggs is in, and the injury to Gibson could mean Sparks goes as well. Matt Frattin: Could He be More than

Last night on Twitter, Maclean's writer Colby Cosh said this regarding the Oilers' ongoing arena woes: My stance has always been that it would be goofy for the Oilers to abandon the most important heritage building in hockey. He caught some flak for it, and even some

Ghostbusters

Many of today's links focus on the recent Forbes team valuations. These financial assessments are considered by almost everyone to be authoritative, but if you read Tyler Dellow's most recent article, you'll have reason to wonder about how thorough they really are. NHL and

On Twitter last night, @1967ers thought it'd be keen to post some lockout centric haikus. Here are my favorites. Got any to add? Losing a season was so much fun the last time that we'll try again? Lockout imminent? Sure, buyout Colby Armstrong. Sounds like a

This Arrested Development clip seems relevant, here. Of course, Arrested Development is always somehow relevant, so there's no surprise, there. Here's the TSN article on the situation, if you're just looking for the straight facts. The mediation will be non-binding, so it's

Thanksgiving is over and now it's officially the Christmas season. Will Santa bring you NHL hockey for Christmas this year? No, probably not.

Did we all make it thru Black Friday alive? Good. Here are some links to entertain you while you recover. IIHF Hall of Fame Class of 2013 Yup. Sundin's in that one too. Expectation: Nazem Kadri Part 1 Really just a history lesson, but ok. Gerry James: Two-Sport

Gary Bettman chats with Flyers fan Jaymes Hall, 41, of Lancaster, Pa. Wonder if he'd chat with one of us. Article at The Blueshirts Blog by Pat Leonard. NHL rejects union's offer, Bettman rips Fehr Article from Josh Yohe at TribLive. The NHLPA proposal by the

CBA stuff blah blah blah. Talking about HRR blah blah blah. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz Here there be links. A Closer Look at the NHL Proposal Mirtle examines that and what may be next. MacKinnon, Jones Top Preliminary Rankings for 2013 Watch the Leafs get screwed by a no-season lottery. Backhand Shelf Podcast

OK, so the league and the players met last night for a couple hours to start talking again, but there doesn't seem to have been any real movement, and any article written on the subject is basically another non-news item, but at least we know they're

Double Nikolai The girls at Ginger Snowflake think this would make for a great caption contest. Have at it. Leafs Prospect Updates Morgan Rielly; total mustache bust. Marlies 5, Heat 0 MLHS with a Marlies recap. Maple Leafs Panel: How the Lockout is Affecting the Team The Hockey Writers talk

Flyers owner Ed Snider may be trying to shift support away from Gary Bettman among the Board of Governors. Could this be the breakthrough the labor impasse needs?

When Baghdad Bill Daly finally starts speaking with a dour tone, you know things aren't going very well: "We have made repeated moves in the Players' direction with absolutely no reciprocation. Regardless of what we propose or how we suggest to compromise the answer is '

Apparently, Joffrey Lupul has overcome all those bureaucratic barriers to playing hockey in the KHL that Cam Charron brought up and is now playing for the worst team in the league. He should be more or less used to that feeling. ANYWAY. It's good to hear that he&

So apparently something happened in the world of baseball or whatever last night involving a mega-trade and a skeezy team owner. BORING! Let's talk more about on again, off again boardroom discussions between NHL an NHLPA lawyers. That's where the real fun is at amiright?? Kill

Need I say more? On to the links. Sundin will never forget what Leafs fans gave him "When I landed in Toronto on Thursday afternoon I came home." From Ryan Dadoun at NBC Sports. Love him or not, Mats Sundin was one of "ours" If you

Over at the Hockey Writers, Lukas Hardonk wrote a piece titled "How a Full-Season Lockout Puts the Toronto Maple Leafs in a Tough Spot". In it, he says that a full season lockout would be bad for the Leafs for two reasons: Players Contracts and Player Development. I

Lazy Linkage on a Friday Leafs in 10-Game Segments That'd make for a great roller coaster. Day Dreaming: Former Leafs We'd Like to See Return Eh, sure. Leafs Nation Roundtable Talking hockey. How Often Does Rebuilding Work? Not all that often. Backhand Shelf Podcast Talking HHOF,

All this silence around the NHL/PA negotiations makes me think that a deal is imminent. That is, "a couple weeks from now" imminent. If it's not imminent and the season is toast, then I'm moving to Russia to watch KHL hockey. (Also, you

While the US general elections were held yesterday, the most important vote you can cast is still available to you. That's right, it's a vote for the Marek vs Wyshynski podcast as the best of the sport podcasts for 2012. I mean if it isn'

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We're staring down the barrel of a cancelled season. What should we write about?