John Pohl suffered an injured thumb in a game on December 17th and has missed all Worcester IceCats games since.  Pohl is wearing a cast but head coach Don Granato told the Worcester Telegram that Pohl could return next week.  Pohl has suffered numerous injuries in his short career with the Cats.  In his rookie year he was atop the scoring list for the league and was named a starter for the AHL All Star Game but suffered a knee injury just prior to All Star Weekend.  Last season Pohl had just returned from a head and jaw injury when he was struck in the face with a puck and was knocked out of the lineup again.  This season saw Pohl once again out of the lineup for the Cats but this time it was reportedly a result of coach Granato's disappointment with Pohl's play.  He was a healthy scratch for ten games.  When he returned his offensive output increased, until the thumb injury took him out of the lineup again.  It is likely that Poh l will be traded as soon as he is healed. 
 
All Adam Hauser does is shut out opponents.  Hauser notched his fifth shutout of the season Tuesday night as the Manchester Monarchs topped the Utah Grizzlies 6-0.  Hauser even earned an assist on the Monarchs' second goal of the game.  The former Gopher goalie now has an impressive 8-2 record with a goals against average of 1.68 and a save percentage of .945.  Keith Ballard was -1, Jeff Taffe -2 while Erik Westrum had a team high 5 shots on net against his former teammate.

Troy Riddle scored an unassisted goal to open the scoring for the Worcester IceCats Tuesday night.  The Cats pulled out of their scoring slump and ended a losing streak with a 5-4 victory over the Hartford Wolf Pack.   Bryce Lampman returned to the Wolf Pack lineup Monday night after missing games with a back injury.  He had an assist and went +2 in the Pack loss to the Cats.

Thomas Vanek had four shots on net but was held off the scoreboard as the Rochester Americans shut out the Edmonton Roadrunners at HSBC Arena in Buffalo Tuesday night 2-0.  Hobey Baker winner Ryan Miller earned the shutout for the Amerks.  The crowd, 17,898 strong, was the 8th largest in AHL history.

Grant Potulny had an assist but his Binghamton Senators were spanked by the Hershey Bears 7-3 Wednesday night.

Josh Olson was assessed a major penalty for elbowing and a game misconduct penalty just over six minutes into the first period as San Antonio fell to the Chicago Wolves 3-2 Wednesday night.
 
Matt Koalska is set to return to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers' lineup after missing 14 games with a fractured foot.  He is scheduled to start the game Friday against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

Brent Burns scored in the first period, Junior Lessard with the first assist, for the Houston Aeros but that was the last tally for his team as they saw Andrew Hutchinson, Darren Haydar and Simon Gamache of the Milwaukee Admirals take over from there.  The trio earned 10 points on four goals for the Ads as they skated by Houston 4-1 on Wednesday night. Thomas Vanek is second in the AHL in powerplay goals trailing only Mike Cammaleri by one goal.  Vanek has 10 goals with the man advantage.  Vanek is one point behind Zach Parise in the rookie scoring race.  He has 22 points in 29 games. 
 
Wyatt Smith has 6 powerplay goals, good for 10th in the AHL.

The Cincinnati Mighty Ducks have won a season-high five straight games and six of their last seven and have gone 8-3-0-0 beginning with their win December 4 at Edmonton.  That increased winning corresponds to the addition of Casey Hankinson to the roster in early December.

The Iowa Stars, the new AHL team to be the primary affiliate of the Dallas Stars, announced ticket plans for their inaugural season next year.  Season package prices will be $336, $504, $714, and $840. Those who sign up for season seats will receive a 20% savings over gate prices.  The franchise already has 1,300 seats on hold for interested buyers.  Fans interested in season seat packages should call (515) 23-STARS for information or visit iowastarshockey.com for a seating chart and prices. Being on the priority list gives fans the first opportunity to purchase the best seats in the Wells Fargo Arena.

Ben Clymer, who visited home in Minnesota during the CHristmas break will be flying back to Switzerland where he plays with HC Biel when the clock strikes midnight on New Year's Eve.  Clymer will return for the playoffs for Biel.

Former Gopher Brett Abrahamson has left Piper Jaffray to rejoin former Gopher teammate and Piper colleague Dan Hendrickson with ThinkEquity in Minneapolis.

Former Holy Angels star Mike Carmen, now with the National Development Program in Ann Arbor, was offered a full ride scholarship for the University of Minnesota on December 22nd at the Mariucci Classic.  Carmen contacted head coach Don Lucia on Christmas Eve to accept the offer.  Carmen will be part of the 2006 recruiting class for the Gophers.

Tom Reimann was placed on 7-day injured reserve for the ECHL Florida Everblades.

Luke Curtain is the second-leading scorer in the ECHL having scored 8 goals and 24 assists in 27 games for the Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies.

Rookie Matt Hendricks is the 5th leading scorer in the ECHL with 15 goals and 15 assists in 29 games with the Florida Everblades and an impressive +10 rating.  Hendricks' 15 goals are second best in the league and he's tops amongst all rookies, tied with Derek Edwardson with 30 points each.

Jason Noterman of the Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies leads all ECHL skaters with 9 powerplay goals and is tied with teammate and fellow Minnesotan Luke Curtain for the lead in power play points (13).

Chris Kenady is tops in the ECHL with 6 game winning goals scored.

Cory Laylin is amongst the leading defensive scorers in the UHL with 3 goals and 12 assists in 33 games with the Rockford IceHogs of the UHL.

Jeff Worlton leads the Fort Wayne Komets in Penalty Minutes with 159 PIMs in 27 games.  He also has one goal and one assist on the season.

Craig Johnson leads his Hamburg Freezers in scoring with 12 goals and 20 assists in 31 games in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga.  Teammate Jim Dowd has 4 goals and 9 assists in 20 games with the Freezers.

Also in the DEL: Derek Plante has 3 goals and 6 assists in 26 games for Adler Mannheim. Kelly Fairchild has 7 goals and 10 assists in 29 games with Eisbären Berlin. Tom Preissing has one goal in 13 games with the Krefeld Pinguine.  Dan Bjornlie has 3 goals 8 assists in 31 games with Kölner Haie. 

Nick Angell is the third leading scorer on the Frisk-Asker Tigers and 24th in the Norges Ishockey Ligaen with 7 goals and 10 assists in 25 games.  He's a +3 with 69 PIMs.

Jason Noterman of the Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies leads all ECHL skaters with 9 powerplay goals

Former Wild forward Stacey Roest leads the Swiss Nationaliga A in scoring with 15 goals and 31 assists.  Also leading the NLA are former Wild forwards Hnat Domenichelli with 45 points and Jean-Guy Trudel with 43 points.

Brad DeFauw is the 19th ranked scorer in the Swedish Allsvenskan Södra.  He has 9 goals and 13 assists in 30 assists with the Växjö Lakers.  Shjon Podein has 7 goals and 5 assists with the Lakers who failed to qualify for the first playoffs.


Quick Quotes:

"Everyone around here is a little awe-struck.  Obviously one of our main goals right now is to get healthy, and while guys are getting healthy, it's the responsibility of the guys in the lineup to turn this thing around."

- Ryan Kraft, who missed five games last month, on the number of injuries hitting his Bridgeport Sound Tigers. (Connecticut Post)

Brian Bonin hadn't played professionally since 2003 with SC Lagnau in Switzerland. A contract with a team in Germany was voided last year after it was discovered that Bonin's previous wrist injury prevented him playing at full capacity. He sat out the season in Minnesota last year rehabilitating and sat out the beginning of this year looking for an opportunity to play. That opportunity came when he was signed to a 25-game tryout with the Worcester IceCats. He made his season debut on Monday night against the Bridgeport SoundTigers and wasted little time showing that his skills had not suffered for the time off the ice. Bonin scored the opening goal just over nine minutes into the first period. Bridgeport answered when Ryan Caldwell and goaltender Wade Dubielwicz assisted on Blain Down's equalizer. Worcester came back with two more goals, including an emptynetter by Peter Sejna to win the game 3-1. Troy Riddle had four shots for the Cats but was scoreless. Ryan Kraft was not in the Tigers' lineup. Worcester is off until Boxing Day Sunday when they face Springfield in an early game.
 
Jeff Taffe and Keith Ballard teamed up for Utah's only goal in a 1-6 loss to the Milwaukee Admirals Monday. Taffe's powerplay tally was his 8th goal of the season, Ballard's assist his 8th and his 10th point of the season. Wyatt Smith was +1 on the night. Taffe was nominated for AHL player of the week.

Matt Koalska returned home for the holidays but found time to skate Wednesday for the first time since suffering a foot fracture while playing with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. Koalska skated again Sunday after returning to Connecticut after the holiday and is targeting a return to the lineup soon.

Ryan Kraft, who missed two games for the Sound Tigers with a sprained ankle, returned to the roster for the Sound Tigers on Sunday.

Grant Potulny, who brother Ryan reported spent Wednesday night in hospital receiving IV fluids after falling ill, also returned to regular play with the Binghamton Senators Monday. Brandon Bochenski and Josh Langfeld scored for the Binghamton Senators as they beat Syracuse 3-2.

Hobey Baker winner Kip Miller signed to play with the AHL Grand Rapids Griffins. Miller, who has spent the last few seasons in the NHL, was an original member of the Griffins. Miller is just one of several former Hobey winners in the AHL this year. Brian Bonin, Mike Mottau and Peter Sejna play for the Worcester Ice Cats. Junior Lessard is skating with the Houston Aeros. Veteran Tony Hrkac is a leader with the Milwaukee Admirals. Ryan Miller, cousin to Kip, is backstopping the Buffalo Sabres' affiliate Rochester Americans. Jordan Leopold, Paul Karyia and Chris Drury are all locked out of the NHL and not playing while Brendan Morrison is experiencing great success in Sweden with Linkopings. Chris Marinucci, who last played in Norway and Scott Pellerin, who spent last season in Worcester, are both looking for work this year.
 
Joey Martin is still sidelined after suffering a concussion in practice in late October. Martin, a draft pick of the Chicago Blackhawks, was signed as a free agent by the Hawks' ECHL affiliate Greenville Grrrowl but Martin is considering hanging up his skates next season. Unless he has the opportunity to move up to the AHL or NHL next season, he believes that the concussion risk is too great for too little reward and is likely to begin an alternative career next year. Martin graduated from the University of Minnesota last spring and was a two-time Scholar-Athlete honoree.

Martin and Koalska were joined by fomer teammates Keith Ballard and Troy Riddle at Mariucci Arena on Thursday for the Championship game of the Dodge Holiday Classic. The former Gophers visited the locker room after the game and celebrated the Gopher win as alumni.

All Star balloting is underway for the AHL. Fans can vote for their favourite player online at theahl.com. Gopher fans, if they vote often, could select an all-Gopher starting lineup. Players to choose from include Grant Potluny, Matt Koalska, Brian Bonin, Jeff Taffe, Keith Ballard, Thomas Vanek, Jake Taylor, Erik Westrum, Wyatt Smith, Ken Gernander, Casey Hankinson, Adam Hauser and Travis Richards.
 
Dan Hinote signed a tryout contract with MoDo hockey, joining Avalanche teammate Peter Forsberg.

Wild defenseman Andrei Zyuzin has signed and NHl lockout contract with Severstal Cherepovets in Russia.

Ken Gernander has rediscovered his scoring touch with the Hartford Wolf Pack of late. He has scored in each of the last two Pack games. He has three goals and 4 assists on the season. He scored again Monday night against Providence and was given a chance in the shootout after the game ended through overtime tied 2-2, but failed to score. Three of his Pack teammates tallied however, giving the club the 3-2 win.

Thomas Vanek scored another power play goal for the Rochester Amerks on Thursday as they skated to the 5-2 win over Syracuse.

Casey Hankinson had an assist on the game winner for Cincinnati on Sunday as they edged Grand Rapids 2-1.

The Worcester IceCats are averaging just two goals a game in its last nine but are 6-2-0-1 during that stretch. John Pohl remains out of the lineup but coach Don Granato said he may return next week.

Houston Aeros players and doctors bought more than 700 tickets to their Dec. 23 game and donated them to local children’s charities.

Bryan Lundbohm got his first point of the season in the AHL on Monday, an assist for the Milwaukee Admirals in their 4-3 loss to the San Antonio Rampage.

Chris Kenady has seven points (5g-2a) for the Long Beach Ice Dogs, who are 4-0-1 in the last five games.

Eric Johnson of Weber State University, David Moline & Scott Hagen of Iowa State University and Adam Blossey of Arizona State University are the Minnesota players named to the 2005 US University Select team. The U.S. games will take place at the Olympic Ice Stadium in Innsbruck, Austria, from Jan. 12-22, 2005. The biannual Winter World University Games is the second largest sporting event in the world next to the Olympic Games and consists of 10 sports competing in 69 medal events. Featuring 1,500 athletes in the 17-28 age range, the 10-day event began in 1960 in France and was hosted on American soil in Lake Placid, N.Y., in 1972. The U.S. team was picked after a select camp held in August and is comprised of players from non-varsity ice hockey teams affiliated with the American Collegiate Hockey Association's Division I, which includes over 40 teams. (USA Hockey)



Quick Quotes:

"I think it's worked out for the best to get adjusted to the lifestyle and the style of play, It's not the NHL, but it's still a lot tougher than what I would be playing in college. It's a good way to kind of ease into things, and then when things get resolved it may be a different story. Players from here will be going up there, but until that happens, this is a good place for me to be." - The game is starting to slow down a lot for me, I've noticed in the last few games. I'm seeing things a lot better on the ice, a little more clearly. As the season goes on, I think it's going to keep going up more for me. I've been happy with the progress lately."

- Zach Parise on playing in the AHL instead of the NHL due to the lockout. (Albany Times Union)

Wild goaltender Manny Fernandez has agreed to a lockout deal with Lulea in the Swedish Elite League. He joins fellow Wild goaltender Dwayne Roloson who went to Finland earlier this season.
 
While John Pohl is on his way out with the Worcester IceCats, former Gopher and Hobey Baker winner Brian Bonin is in. Bonin signed with the Cats on Thursday.  He becomes the third Hobey winner on the club, joining Mike Mottau and Peter Sejna.  Also signed were NHLrs Eric Bougeniecki and Matt Walker to help an offensively struggling club.  Troy Riddle remains with the club after being recalled from Peoria of the ECHL.  Due to injuries Mike Stuart was moved up from the blueline to right wing temporarily.  None of the newly signed Cats were in the lineup this weekend as Worcester dropped both games.

Adam Hauser suffered only his second loss of the season for the Manchester Monarchs Saturday, stopping 26 of 29 Hershey shots as the Bears scored a powerplay goal just over a minute into overtime to seal the 3-2 win.

Luke Curtain continues to lead the ECHL in power play points (13) and power-play
assists (11).  He is second in league scoring with 27 points.

Nate DiCasmirro scored for the Edmonton Roadrunners on Friday for the 2-1 victory over the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks.  The game was played in Anaheim at the Arrowhead Pond.  Casey Hankinson was held off the board for Cincinnati.

Brandon Bochenski and Josh Langfeld scored goals in the Binghamton Senators 5-1 victory over the Bridgeport Sound Tigers Friday.
 
Sunday the Sens jumped out to a two goal lead over the Philadelphia Phantoms.but the Phantoms tied the game with five seconds remaining in the third.  Josh Langfeld had two assists and Grant Potulny had a fighting major.for the Sens.  Ben Stafford had an assist but failed to score in the shootout.  Josh Langfeld's shot was stopped as well but both Brandon Bochenski and Denis Hamel found the back of the net and the Sens escaped with the 3-2 win.

The Tigers also dropped Saturday's game against Providence in overtime.  Ryan Kraft had a goal for Bridgeport in the loss.
 
Josh Olson scored for San Antonio in their 3-2 loss to the Cleveland Barons Friday.  Tim Conboy scored a goal and an assist for the Barons in the win.

Mikko Koivu and Junior Lessard both scored in a shootout to give the Houston Aeros the 4-3 win over Norfolk Saturday.

Jake Taylor continues to impress in Hartford.  Friday night Taylor stayed out of trouble in a penalty-filled match pitting his Wolf Pack against the Portland Pirates.  Taylor went +1 in the 4-1 Pack victory.  He is a -1 in 10 games in the AHL this year with 36 PIMs.  Taylor is still recovering from facial injuries suffered almost a month ago during practice.

Ken Gernander scored an early goal to help the Hartford Wolf Pack to the victory over the Springfield Falcons Sunday.  Gernander scored the Pack's first goal late in the first period.  The game ended tied 2-2 and remained tied through overtime.  Hartford had three shooters score in the shootout giving them the 3-2 win.

Erik Westrum scored an unassisted shorthanded goal in the first period Friday as the Utah Grizzlies took on the Grand Rapids Griffins.  He capped the scoring with an empty net unassisted goal in the third to give the Grizz the 3-1 victory.

Westrum's solo scoring touch carried into Saturday's game against Milwaukee opening the scoring for Utah with an unassisted goal in the first.  He earned an assist on the Frederick Sonnenberg's powerplay goal in the second.  Wyatt Smith had four assists for the Admirals in the 4-5 loss.  Keith Ballard notched an assist for Utah in the win, Jeff Taffe was held off the scoresheet.  This weekend's games were Utah's first back-to-back regulation victories of the season.

Thomas Vanek had been held off the scoresheet as of late for the Rochester Americans.  His Rochester team beat St. John's 3-2 Friday.  Vanek was scoreless and a -2 on the night. But Vanek snapped back Saturday scoring both Amerks goals in their 2-0 win versus the Syracuse Crunch.  Karl Goehring took the loss for the Crunch.

The Ferraro Twins, Peter and Chris were recently signed by the Syracuse Crunch.  They have made an immediate impact.  Chris scored the first goal and last goals for Syracuse on Sunday, Joe Motzko added the goal in the middle as the Crunch skated to the 3-2 shutout win.

Zach Parise leads all AHL rookies in scoring with 5 goals and 17 assists in 26 games with the Albany RIver Rats but has a -5 rating.  Not far behind at second is Thomas Vanek with 13 goals and 7 assists and is -1 in 27 games with the Rochester Americans.  Nine of his goals have come on the powerplay, good for third best in the league.

There are several WCHA vets atop the rookie scoring list in the AHL.  Rene Bourque is ranked 6th with 8 goals and 10 assists and -1 in 29 games with the Norfolk Admirals.  Brandon Bochenski is 7th with 11 goals and 6 assists and is a solid +6 in 25 games.

Former UND and Wild defenseman Travis Roche is ranked as the second best defenseman in the AHL, statistically, this season.  He has 7 goals and 15 assists in 27 games for the Chicago Wolves.  He also has a league-best +13 rating amongst defensemen and that's good enough for third in the league overall.

Veteran blueliner Rick Mrozik has an 8th best defenseman +/- in the AHL at +12 for the Rochester Americans.

Wyatt Smith is ranked 7th in the AHL for powerplay goals with 6 scored with the Milwaukee Admirals.

Troy Riddle has 3 goals and an assist in 9 games with the Worcester IceCats since being recalled from the Peoria Rivermen.  Riddle's shooting percentage, .214, is 8th best in the league, tops amongst rookies.
 
Keith Ballard's Utah Grizzlies have suffered this season, and Ballard's +/- rating has suffered with them.  He has a -14 rating in 27 games this season with 9 points.  Ballard plays in all situations for Utah including the powerplay, penalty kill.

Wild defenseman Andrei Zuyzin was released by Salavat Yulawv Ufa in the Russian Superleague.

Paul Martin's contract with Fribourg in Switzerland will end just before Christmas.  He is expected home after playing his last game on the 23rd.

Ben Clymer is averaging at least a goal a game since signing with EHC Biel in Switzerland.  Saturday he had a goal as Biel beat La Chaux-de-Fonds 3-1.


Quick Quotes:

"Under the [NHL's] plan to end this labor dispute, rookies would be capped at $850,000 for four years. Coupled with the league's proposal of no salary arbitration and free agency geared to age 30, a player could come into the league at age 18 and be held captive by his club without a raise for 12 years. Shades of Curt Flood? Again, who's being greedy here?"

- Tim Panaccio, Philadelphia Inquirer.

The University of Minnesota Board of Regents approved a contract with Daktronics, Inc to install new video scoreboards in both Mariucci and Williams Arenas.  Look for the installation to be completed by mid-February.
 
John Pohl was scratched from the Worcester IceCats lineup again Friday & Saturday nights with Don Granato back in charge.  Peter Sejna also returned to the Cats lineup after missing several weeks due to injury.  The Cats beat Springfield 1-0 Friday, Troy Riddle was scoreless with two shots and even on the night.  Saturday the offensively struggling Cats beat Providence 2-1 in a shootout.  Sejna tied the game with less than two minutes remaining in the third with Worcester goalie pulled for the extra attacker.  Sejna also got the game-winner in the shootout to give the Cats the win.  Troy Riddle and Mike Stuart were held off the scoresheet. 

Ben Stafford scored his sixth goal of the season but his Philadelphia Phantoms dropped Friday's game against the Hershey Bears 3-4.

Jeff Taffe had a goal and an assist as the Utah Grizzlies topped the San Antonio Rampage 3-2 Friday night.  Josh Olson had an assist for the Rampage in the loss.

Joey Martin remains on injured reserve with the Greenville Grrrowl of the ECHL after suffering a concussion in practice in early November.

Luke Curtain remains the top scorer in the ECHL with 27 points in 21 games.  He is also the league leader in assists with 20,  11 of which have been scored on the power play.
 
Ken Gernander scored with 3:42 left in regulation to lift Hartford to a 3-2 win over Manchester Friday night.  The Monarchs entered the game with the league's best offense and best goaltending tandem while the Pack had the best defense. Adam Hauser stopped 32 shots for the Monarchs but suffered his first loss of the season (7-1-0). Bryce Lampman earned an assist and a plust two rating,  Jake Taylor, despite wearing a full face mask earned a roughing penalty and game misconduct as an "Intervenor", the third man in rule, and was ejected from the game, but no fighting majors were assessed.  The game  featured 20 power-plays and the two teams combined for 106 in penalty minutes.  Both Manchester goals were scored with a 5-on-3 advantage.

Matt DeMarchi scored his first goal of the season Friday night, an unassisted goal, and notched an assist on the game-winner, helping Albany defeat Wilkes Barre/Scranton 5-2.
 
Brandon Bochenski scored two goals, one the game-winner in overtime, and added an assist as the Binghamton Senators edged the Syracuse Crunch 3-2.  Grant Potulny earned an assist for Bingo and Joe Motzko had two assists for Syracuse.

Josh Langfeld opened the scoring for the Binghamton Senators Saturday night with a powerplay goal but the Albany River Rats topped the Sens 3-2 in overtime.  Matt DeMarchi was scoreless and +1 on the night, Zach Parise had an assist for the Rats.  Grant Potulny was held without a point and went even and Brandon Bochenski was scoreless for the Sens.

Wyatt Smith scored the game-winner for the Milwaukee Admirals Saturday night with a power-play marker giving the team the 3-2 victory over the Syracuse Crunch.  Tim Jackman had an assist for the Crunch and Karl Goehring stopped 24 of 27 shots for the loss.

Thomas Vanek was held scoreless through three periods and the shootout despite five shots on goal as his Rochester Americans were beaten 3-2 by Hamilton in the shootout on Saturday.  No Amerks scored in the shootout.

Luke Curtain remains the top scorer in the ECHL with 27 points in 21 games.  He is also the league l

Casey Hankinson scored the only goal of the game Saturday, chipping in a rebound shot, giving his Cincinnati Ducks the 1-0 shutout win over the Cleveland Barons.  It was Hankinson's second game of the season after signing with the Ducks December 3rd.

BJ Abel is in the midst of a 7-game point scoring streak with the Trenton Titans of the ECHL. The Titans have won three consecutive road games to improve to 7-1-1 on the road.
Chris Kenady is the ECHL leader in game winning goals with 4 for the Long Beach Ice Dogs.

Ben Clymer had an assist for EHC Biel but they were inhiliated by EHC Basel 1-9 Saturday.

Paul Martin had an assist Saturday as his Friboug-Gottéron tied the ZSC Lions Saturday 3-3.  Martin's contract expires December 15th.

Craig Johnson is tied for 12th in scoring in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga with 10 goals and 15 assists in 25 games with the Hamburg Freezers.

TJ Guidarelli leads all scorers in the Deutsche Oberliga Sud with 22 goals and 32 assists in 2q games for SC Reissersee.

Mike Muller is 11th in scoring in the Oberliga Sud with 13 goals and 16 assists in 23 games with EV Ravensburg good for first in scoring amongst defenseman.

Nick Angell is ranked 20th in the Norwegian UPC-ligaen.  He has 7 goals 10 assists in 23 games for Frisk-Asker IF.

Aaron Fox is in 9th place in scoring in the Deutsche Bundesliga 2 with 12 goals and 24 assists in 24 games for EHC Freiburg Wölfe.
 
Brad DeFauw is ranked 19th amongst scorers with 9 goals and 13 assists in 30 games with the Växjö Lakers of the Allsvenskan Södra.  Teammate Shjon Podein has 7 goals and 5 assists in 17 games.

Dylan Mills has only one assist in 20 games for Mörrums GoIS, also in the Allsvenskan Södra.

Marty McSorley is an assistant coach of the Worldstars team comprised of locked out NHL players touring Europe.  They're 2-1 through three games having beaten Latvia and Russia.  The entire team took a bus to visit the grave of former Wild forward Sergei Zholtok when they arrived in Latvia.  The trip was organized by Zholtok's former teammate Anson Carter and was optional but the entire team went for the somber visitation to pay their respects.  The Worldstars continue their tour Monday in Pilzen, Czech Republic against a group of Czech and Slovak all-stars.

Quick Speculation:

With Troy Riddle fitting in nicely with the Worcester IceCats there isn't room for John Pohl who has struggled throughout his 3-year tenure with the Blues' farm team and is on the outs with Cats' coach Don Granato.  Look for Pohl to be traded to another AHL club soon.  The Utah Grizzlies, farm team of the Phoenix Coyotes, would have been a top possibility, reuniting Pohl with Erik Westrum and Jeff Taffe but the Grizzlies recently acquired Peter White and signed free agent Aaron Gavey.  The Bridgeport Sound Tigers, affiliate of the Islanders, are struggling offensively but are deep at center despite an injury to Matt Koalska.  Pohl could be reassigned to the ECHL Peoria Rivermen but it is more likely he will be either traded or loaned to another AHL club, not an uncommon move in the AHL.  Peter White, son-in-law to Flyers GM Bobby Clarke, was recently 'loaned' away to the Utah Grizzlies after rumoured problems with Clarke in Philadelphia where he played with the AHL Phantoms.
 

Quick Quotes:

"That [situation] is discouraging. You know, it seems like they could get close enough and then flip a coin if they couldn't solve it any other way. Or go to outside arbitration. I was partners with the Soviet Union on the Goodwill Games -- the Soviet Union, the hated, feared, communist empire and we had a clause in our contract that if we had an argument we couldn't settle, we'd go to arbitration in Sweden. And we never even came close to needing arbitration; we got along great. That was the capitalists and the commies. Talk about two teams that didn't match up! I was doing everything I could to bring the two countries together, and it worked."

- Ted Turner on the NHL lockout. (Atlanta Journal Constitution)


"Jake played excellent.  He didn't get out of his element. He read the rush, which he's good at, and used his stick to poke-check really well."

- Hartford Wolf Pack Head Coach Ryan McGill on Jake Taylor returning to the lineup after missing 5 games with facial injuries suffered when hit by a puck shot by McGill during practice. (Hartford Wolf Pack)

“My role is to be old.  We’ve such a young team. I’ll try to have a calming presence and be a guy others can look to for advice.”

- Casey Hankinson on his role with the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks after signing with the team early December (Cincinnati Ducks)

“The reason Casey was brought on is twofold. The first reason is for his leadership ability.  Next, Casey’s a good hockey player at this level. He’s consistent, meaning he plays the game the right way.”

- Ducks assistant coach Dan Bylsma on the signing of the youngest Hankinson (Cincinnati Ducks)

"It seems Canadians are a lot like the Whos of Whoville: After the N.H.L. leaders slithered and slunk, with a smile most unpleasant, and took every Modano, Sakic and Wade Redden, Canadians gathered around the ice rinks, the big and the small, and watched junior league hockey without commercialism at all."

- New York Times columnist Selena Roberts.

“I think so. I mean with the basketball riots, the steroids in baseball, I think hockey is looking classier all the time."

- Brett Hull on Saturday Night Live when asked if hockey can survive the lockout.

We can't hold the owners hands.  We've showed them all these ways they don't have to spend more money. Are we supposed to also say no for them? There has to be some responsibility in their hands and we've given them a new marketplace to work within."

- Jarome Iginla on the NHLPA's CBA proposal (Calgary Sun).

Thomas Vanek has scored seven goals in the Rochester Amerks’ last eight  games, and ranks second in the AHL with eight power-play markers on the season.
 
As expected, when Jeff Taffe returned to the Utah Grizzlies lineup after a four-game suspension he was matched with newly-signed forward Aaron Gavey.  Joining them on the line was Peter White, just traded from Philadelphia.  The three didn't take long to click as a trio, scoring a goal Wednesday night against Rochester. Erik Westrum had an assist. Vanek tied the score in the third period with an unassisted goal 3-3 after the Grizzlies had jumped to a 3-1 lead on Taffe's goal.  The game remained tied through overtime sending it to a shootout.  Both Jeff Taffe and Erik Westrum scored for the Grizzlies as did teammate Jarrod Skalde.  Only Aaron Gavey was held without a score in the one-on-one shootout.  Thomas Vanek was the only Amerk to beat Jean-Marc Pelltier meaning the Grizzlies won the game 4-3.

Ken Gernander tallied an empty net goal giving the Hartford Wolf Pack a 2-0 victory over the Springfield Falcons Wednesday.  Five of the next 6 Pack games will be played in Hartford.

Travis Richards had an assist and went +2 on the night as the surging Grand Rapids Griffins topped the St. John's Maple Leafs 5-4 Wednesday.

Zach Parise had four assists, a point for every Rats goal, but Albany fell to the Providence Bruins 4-3 Wednesday in a shootout.  Parise was held without a goal in the shooutout and ended up -1 on the night.

Connor James was recalled to the Manchester Monarchs from the Bakersfield Condors of the ECHL.
 
Wild defenseman Andrei Zyuzin has been released by Salavat Yulaev Ufa in Russia.


Quick Quotes:

"Sometimes when you have a competitor's mentality and guys go down, it's easier to pick your game up.  Guys got hurt playing hard, so I think that's easier for a competitive person to deal with. You don't look to be short-handed, but that's where you raise your level of play and expectations. The nature of athletes is to push yourself when facing adversity."

- Ken Gernander on his Hartford Wolf Pack coping with extensive injuries. (Hartford Courant)


"Jake played excellent.  He didn't get out of his element. He read the rush, which he's good at, and used his stick to poke-check really well."

- Hartford Wolf Pack Head Coach Ryan McGill on Jake Taylor returning to the lineup after missing 5 games with facial injuries suffered when hit by a puck shot by McGill during practice. (Hartford Wolf Pack)

"It's definitely the highlight of my hockey career, even more than playing pro.  When you play college hockey you really get to meet your teammates. You live with them and go to school with them. There is nothing like college hockey. Anytime I get a chance to talk to kids midget age around here (16-17 years old) I tell them that college hockey is absolutely the best. Not just the skill of the hockey which is fantastic, but it's four years of your life you will never forget."

- Former Bruins goalie Blaine Lacher who won the NCAA Championship with Lake Superior State (Boston Globe)


Quick Take:

Gary Bettman reportedly told a group of Toronto Maple Leafs Season Ticket Holders that he could not guarantee ticket prices would go down if the league achieves their desired cost certainty.  "He said that goes market by market," said Ron Fleming a Leafs season ticket holder for ten years. "He told us he's not in the business of capping ticket prices in each city."
 
Am I the only one who sees the irony in the little man who has been trumpeting the need for a hard salary cap in order to keep ticket prices from escalating any further saying that he's against capping ticket prices?  Funny how Bettman seems to favor a free market system only when it benefits the owners but not when it comes to the players.  (quote from the Toronto Star).


Quick Take II:

Exclusive take on NHLPA's recent contract offer
 
Quick Facts has learned that the proposal the NHLPA presented to owners Tuesday included a one-time 24% salary and bonus rollback for all players currently under contract in the NHL.  That is 14% higher than what was speculated the players would offer.  That one-time rollback offer, based on last year's total NHL salary, would amount to approximately $319,683,529.68 on salary alone.  That figure would be less, an estimated $270 million, for players currently under contract in the NHL, especially given the number of players that remained unsigned due to the lockout.  
 
The players have also reportedly offered a revision to arbitration and qualifying offers and their offer, as expected included a reduction in the entry-level salary cap from $1.2 million to $850,000 and a luxury tax of 75% for total team payrolls exceeding $40 million.
 
With the estimated cost savings of $270 million combined with the approximate $192 revenue generated from the payroll tax (based on 2004 total payroll) that would give the owners $460 million additional revenue to start.  That doesn't include the cost savings created from the entry-level salary reductions.  It also does not account for the payroll drag that would result from the changes in arbitration and qualifying offers the players have offered.
 
But wait - there's more!  The owners reportedly accumulated a war chest of $200 million to ride out the lockout, monies they could release back into their books if they settled the labor dispute this season.
 
So the owners, if their claimed loss level of $225 million was valid, would be able to write more that $400 million in black ink into their accounting registers this season if they accept the NHLPA offer presented to them today.  That is more than they pocketed from the last round of expansion.
 
In addition, the players' offer addresses the concerns expressed over uncontrolled salary and bonus escalation with rookie players and restricted free agents with their concessions on the entry-level cap and a new structure for qualifying offers for restricted free agents and changes to the arbitration system.
 
The Minnesota Wild's top paid player, Marian Gaborik, would give back at least $696,000 himself under the 24% salary rollback proposal.  The league's top paid players, Peter Forsberg and Jaromir Jagr, would conceed $2,640,000 each.  The 24% rollback would also affect the league's lowest-paid players, dropping former Wild forward Jeremy Stevenson, for instance, from a salary of $400,000 to $304,000.
 
It is time for the owners to take responsibility for running their own businesses appropriately and responsibly.  The players have certainly given back to the game they love to play in this latest offer with their extremely generous concessions.  Gary Bettman no longer has a valid argument with what the players have offered the league, an offer that more than makes up for any revenue deficit the teams may claim to suffer and addresses the future of the league with their arbitration, entry-level cap and qualifying offer changes they have presented.
 
Step up Gary and say "GAME ON"!

The University of Minnesota Board of Regents is being asked to approve a contract for $725,700 for purchase and installation of video replay board systems for Williams and Mariucci Arenas for Intercollegiate Athletics.  Daktronics, Inc was selected as the vendor through a competitive process.  The Finance & Operations Committee will consider the contract during its meeting on December 9, 2004 as part of the committee's Consent Report.  If the contract is recommended for approval by the Finance & Operations Committee, it will be considered during the Board meeting on Friday, December 10. 
 
Though he attended the last CBA meeting between the NHL and NHLPA Wild Chairman Bob Naegele will not be present Thursday when the union presents its new proposal to the NHL in an effort to end the three-month long lockout. (CP)

Brandon Bochenski scored twice and Grant Potulny once but their Binghamton Senators fell to the Manitoba Moose 5-4 on Sunday.

Troy Riddle helped end the Worcester Ice Cats shutout streak, over 198 minutes before Sunday's game, midway through the second period of their game against the Providence Bruins Sunday, assisting on Alexei Shkotov's goal with Mark Stuart.  Riddle then scored his first goal in the AHL at 4:22 of the third period, assisted by Shkotov and Stuart.  The goal helped the Cats break a 5-game skid with the win.  Before Shkotov's goal the last goal scored by Worcester was Johnny Pohl's at 6:31 of the third period of the 4-2 victory over Bridgeport.

Thomas Vanek is tied with some familiar names in scoring by AHL rookies.  Vanek, with 9 goals and 6 assists in 21 games with the Rochester Amerks, is ranked 5th amongst rookies with Rene Bourque who has 7 goals and 8 assists in 23 games with the Norfolk Admirals, and Zach Parise who has 5 goals and 10 assists in 20 games with the Albany River Rats.  Close behind the trio is Brandon Bochenski who has 8 goals and 5 assists in 20 games with the Binghamton Senators.

Of Vanek's 9 goals, 7 have come on the power-play, tops for all AHL rookies and tied for second-most in the league.
 
Bochenski is tied for third place in plus/minus ranking amongst rookies with Ryan Suter of the Milwaukee Admirals, both with +7 ratings.

Grant Potulny is ranked 10th amongst AHL rookies in penalty minutes.  Potulny, still considered a rookie despite playing some games at the end of last season, has 60 PIMs in 25 games with the Binghamton Senators to go along with his 3 goals and 7 assists.

Bryce Lampman is ranked second amongst AHL defensemen in shooting percentage converting on 19.2 percent of his 26 shots for five goals to go with his three assists for the Hartford Wolf Pack.

Adam Hauser is ranked the second-best goaltender in the AHL.  He is 7-0 with a save percentage of .949 and has a miniscule goals against average of 1.56 with 4 shutouts on the year for the Manchester Monarchs.

Keith Anderson was activated off Injured Reserve by the Florida Everblades.
 
Luke Gruden, assistant coach with the Peoria Rivermen was activated as an emergency back-up goaltender for the ECHL team Sunday after Alfie Michaud was injured and Cory Rudkowsky was recalled to Providence.  He was released Monday.

The Minnesota Wild is hosting a Fantasy Camp for season ticket holders at Xcel Energy Center on December 19th at 1:00pm followed by a skating party at the arena.  Doug Risebrough, Mike Ramsey and Bob Mason are slated to lead 30 campers through drills and will also conduct a draft, game and post-game reception at the Fishing Lodge in the bowels of the X.  Then skaters in three time slots will take to the ice that isn't being  used for NHL games.  The camp is just one of many promotions the Wild has planned to keep season ticket holders happy.  More are expected to be announced as long as the lockout continues.

Also on December 19th, Andrew Brunette and the locked out NHL players in Minnesota are putting on an exhibition hockey game at Mariucci Arena against Governor Pawlenty and members of the St. Paul Police and National Guard hockey teams.  Proceeds from the game will help benefit the Shjon Podein CHildren's Foundation, the Herb Brooks Foundation and the National Guard’s Minnesota Military Family Foundation. 


Quick Speculation:

Look for the NHL to add drug testing for steriods to the agenda in CBA negotiations.  Though most of the top players in the league are regularly tested for International competition, the league is expected to demand a testing program as a publicity generator in light of steroid scandals affecting other major sports.  Performance-enhancing drugs like steroids are not thought to be a major problem in hockey circles because their affects are inconsistent and sometimes antithetical to what hockey players need to do on the ice.
 
If players like Steve Yzerman and Al McInnis can accept wearing an eye shield there is little hope that the NHLPA's argument that visors should be a players' choice will hold water in CBA negotiations.  The Union will likely have to conceed a grandfathered mandatory visor rule in any new CBA negotiations.
 
Former NHL agent, executive and general manager Brian Burke was at Brendan Shanahan's hockey summit held in Detroit Tuesday and Wednesday.
 
In the NHL simulations contracted by the Canadian Press the Calgary Flames are leading the NHL.  The NHL campaign is being simulated for The Canadian Press by video game giant Electronic Arts, using its 2005 game. Jarome Iginla scored three goals in three games as Calgary defeated Colorado 2-1 and Minnesota 4-3 and tied Detroit 3-3. The five points improved Calgary's record to 18-5-4 with 40 points, three ahead of the Avalanche (17-7-3) and six ahead of Toronto (15-8-4).  Florida overtaking Atlanta for the lead in Southeast Division, Detroit vaulting past St. Louis for first in the Central Division. The Edmonton Oilers, meanwhile, slipped back into the basement of the Northwest Division.  The Wild topped Edmonton 4-2 , and beat Vancouver 2-1 this week.  The Electronic Arts simulation uses the 2002-03 schedule, since this season's dates weren't out when the latest version of the game was finished. (CP)
 
Former UND standout Lee Goren will forever be a part of AHL record books.  On Dec. 2 at the MTS Centre in Winnipeg, Goren, playing for the Manitoba Moose beat Cincinnati goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov at 9:43 of the third period to give the Moose a 3-1 lead. The power-play goal was the 200,000th goal ever scored in the AHL regular season.  It was Goren's second goal of the game and he went on to get the hat trick giving the Moose the 4-1 victory.


Quick Quotes:

"I don't know how much more we give up.  We want to get something done and we've been the ones making the concessions to get a deal in place.  We want something that is going to work for the players and we understand it has to work for both sides. I thought we made a good proposal the last time, but I can't see us continuing to make concessions because then we're negotiating against ourselves."

- Former Wild blueliner Curtis Leschyshyn on the pending NHLPA offer (Ottawa Sun)


"It is very clear to me that the owners expect us to bear the burden alone of solving the problems they have brought on themselves by showing a lack of [fiscal] control.  We are willing to negotiate. We are willing to work with the owners to fix the problems they have identified ... [but] they want to dictate. They have one solution and one solution only: They demand a cap."

- NY Rangers forward Bobby Holik (Washington Times)

"I'm disappointed with the way the NHL has conducted the negotiations. I don't know how you can start a negotiation by saying, 'this time, there will be no compromise.  Even if you take what the league says they lost [$242-million (U.S.)] and what Forbes says they lost [$96-million] and split the difference, our initial proposal almost closes that gap completely . . . and that was our initial proposal."

- Vancouver Canucks forward Brendan Morrison on the NHLPA's original contract offer. (Globe & Mail)

"If a Swiss guy's good enough to play in the NHL does that mean he's taking a job from a guy from North America? I don't think so,"

- Columbus Blue Jackets forward Rick Nash on criticism of him and other locked-out NHL players taking jobs in Europe this season (ESPN.com)

Jeff Taffe was suspended 4 games by the AHL for checking Houston Goaltender Josh Harding causing Harding to suffer a concussion.  Taffe began serving the suspension Tuesday night.
 
Jason Blake has signed to play with HC Lugano in the Swiss Elite League.

Ben Clymer left Minneapolis on Thursday for Switzerland, despite a missed flight connection in Amsterdam and lost luggage in Kloten Clymer arrived to join EHC Biel-Biene Friday. Clymer, who won the Stanley Cup with the Tampa Bay Lightning, has been working on trying to gain employment overseas for some time and will play in Swiss Nationaliga B.  He was signed to replace former NHL skater JF Jomphe who is injured.  Playing his first game Saturday Clymer scored a goal in the first period, added another goal and an assist as Biel bested HC Ajoie 5-4.

Paul Martin scored the 4th of 4 consecutive goals Saturday for HC Fribourg-Gottéron but HC Davos came back to score 3 straight goals to win the game 5-4.  Joe Thornton had the game winner for Davos.

David Tanabe, who had been playing with SC Rapperswil Jona in Switzerland is now playing with the Kloten Flyers.

The AHL had a very unique situation Friday night.  Not only did they have three games decided by shooutout but two of those games were scoreless ties prior to the shooutout rounds.  Of the 12 AHL games played on Friday, 11 were decided by a single goal.
 
Troy Riddle had one shot but was held without a point in his first AHL game since being recalled by the Worcester Ice Cats.  At 18:20 of the second period, Brendan Brooks and Riddle had a 2-on-1 break, but Brooks' snap shot from 30 feet hit the outside of the post. The Cats were bested 1-0 in a shootout against the Hershey Bears, their first shootout of the season.  John Pohl had three shots on goal.  It was head coach Don Granato's first game back after taking leave to deal with a family illness.  Pohl was benched Saturday night as the IceCats were shut out for the third consecutive game, dropping the third game 0-6 versus Hartford.  Alexandre Giroux scored the hat trick for the Pack.  Jake Taylor was +1 on the night.

It has become well documented that Worcester head coach Granato does not have an affinity for Pohl though Steve Pleau, who took over behind the bench in Granato's absence, does.  Pleau is also the brother of Blues GM Larry Pleau.

Friday night Keith Ballard's Utah Grizzlies tied their game against the Cleveland Barons with the goaltender pulled for an extra attacker in the last minute of regulation sending the game to a shootout.  After 16 rounds Cleveland ended up victorious, winning the game by a score of 3-2.  Ballard had an assist on the Grizzlies' first goal against the Grand Rapids Griffins Saturday night to tie the game 1-1 in the third period.  But Grand Rapids retook the lead on a powerplay goal and won the game 2-1.

The Hartford Wolf Pack and the Lowell Lock Monsters also skated to a scoreless tie after regulation.  Both goaltenders then survived 12 rounds of shooters without allowing goal, before Mike Zigomanis broke through on Lowell's 13th attempt. Jake Taylor did not return to the lineup for the first time since being hit in the face with a puck shot by his coach in practice on Friday but was in Saturday's matchup against the Worcester Ice Cats, even taking a roughing penalty just over six minutes into the game.

Matt Koalska may be glad to be sidelined after watching Friday night's melee-filled game that saw his Bridgeport Sound Tigers best the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins 4-3.  The second period dissolved into a penalty filled affair with even goaltender Wade Dubielwicz getting into the act.  At 3:23 of the second, by the time all penalties were assessed, there wasnt a player on the ice without a penalty.  Ryan Kraft did get back on the scoresheet after returning from a foot injury earning an assist as the Sound Tigers beat the Penguins 4-3.  The penalties added up to 105 for Wilkes-Barre and 128 for Bridgeport.  The league will undoubtedly review the tapes for possible additional disciplinary action.
 
Mike Cammaleri continued his hot streak, scoring a goal and an assist in Friday's 4-3 win for the Monarchs over the Providence Bruins. The Monarchs are the highest-powered offense in the league.  But they are backstopped by the best goaltending tandem in the league. Adam Hauser got another shutout Saturday, stopping all 43 shots he faced to increase his record to 7-0 with 4 shutouts. Cammaleri had an assist and a goal in the 2-0 victory in the rematch against the Bruins.

Friday saw goaltender Karl Goehring making 26 saves as the Syracuse Crunch beat the Albany River Rats, 1-0.  Syracuse continued to roll, topping St Johns 6-2.  On Saturday Tim Jackman scored the game-winner for the Crunch as they dominated the St John's Maple Leafs 6-2.  Goehring again got the win stopping 23 of 25 shots he faced.  Mark Hartigan had 3 assists, Joe Motzko one for the Syracuse.

The Senators dropped a 3-2 decision to the St. John's Maple Leafs Friday night in front of 1the 2th largest crowd in AHL history,17,422 at Air Canada Centre.  Josh Langfeld opened the scoring for the Binghamton Senators Saturday night with a shorthanded unassisted goal against the Manitoba Moose.  Brandon Bochenski added a goal in the third with an assists to Grant Potulny and Jesse Fibiger giving the Sens the 3-1 win.

Thomas Vanek notched an assist but the Rochester Americans dropped their Saturday night game to the San Antonio Rampage 4-3.

Wyatt Smith scored a powerplay goal in the third period Saturday as the Admirals edged thei archrival Chicago Wolves 3-2.  Smith's goal was the game-winner.

The Philadelphia Phantoms broke the AHL record for consecutive wins with 17 in a row.  The streak was broken last week but the Phantoms were beginning another roll.  Friday night Ben Stafford scored three times in the shootout to preserve the win.  But another streak wasn't meant to be.  Stafford notched an assist but the Phantoms were felled in overtime by the Norfolk Admirals 2-1.

Matt DeMarchi returned to the Albany River Rats lineup Friday after missing several games with an undisclosed injury suffered after being cross-checked in the back during a game.  The Rats topped Springfield 3-1 Saturday.

Former Wild forward Aaron Gavey has returned from playing in Europe and has signed to play with the Utah Grizzlies of the AHL.

Former Wild forward Jeremy Stevenson has signed to play in the ECHL with the South Carolina Stingrays.
 
Dale Purinton became the 4th NHL player in the ECHL, joining Scott Gomez in Alaska, Eric Boulton in Columbia Stevenson.

NHL players who have played in Europe must have their contracts end by December 15th or they will not be able to return to the NHL should the season resume.  In addition, players who have played in Europe must first clear waivers before signing with a team.  Casey Hankinson needed to clear waivers after signing with the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks before he could suit up.  With the restrictions look for the number of NHL players signing as free agents in the ECHL, UHL and possibly AHL, to increase, especially if the NHL season is cancelled.


Quick Take:

There have been many calls for new leadership in both the NHL and NHLPA.  One name that keeps cropping up for leading the NHL is former Edina native Brian Burke.  The latest mention is in John Buccigross' ESPN.com column.  Not a bad idea, the former agent, former disciplinarian of the NHL, and former General Manager understands the game of hockey from all perspectives and is passionate about it, qualities the current NHL leadership sorley lacks.


Quick Take II:

If, as reported, the NHPA's new proposal includes a salary concession of 10%, that means that the NHL will pocket a savings of $133,201,471 just next year based on last year's total league payroll.  In addition the players are expected to lower their payroll threshold for a luxury tax/soft cap to $40 million, with every dollar above taxed at 75%.  If, under the current payrolls, the tax was applied, $255,081,513 of payroll would be above the threshold so that $191,311,134.75 would be distributed amongst the 16 NHL teams that did not have payrolls in excess of $40 million.
 
That is a total savings, without including the concessions the players have offered on the entry level salary cap, of $324,512,605.75!  The NHL claims it lost $225 million last year, without including revenue from places like luxury suites and television contracts, meaning they would have seen a profit of almost $100 million without those revenue numbers included. 
 
I think that's sufficient concession on the part of the players.  However, if the players also offered a concession on arbitration, like a limitation on the number of times or how frequently a player can file, that would go a long way to satiating the owners' desire for 'cost certainty' putting a drag on salary escalation.  But the players should also demand that the free agency age to be lowered to 28 from 31.
 
If such an offer is tendered there can be no rational reason to reject it beyond greed.