Loose Pucks: Pucks Meet Paddles

July 12, 2012

Although no goalies were among the 11 players who attended collective bargaining negotiations in Toronto on Tuesday, The Washington Times yesterday asked the Capitals’ former starter and current associate goaltending coach Olaf Kolzig to weigh in on the CBA talks and the likelihood of another labor dispute.  Kolzig was still an active player when the 2004-2005 season was wiped out by a lockout after the last CBA expired.  Reflecting on the NHLPA’s role in the failed negotiations that year, Kolzig said, “I don’t think our union was prepared for how tough a stance the owners had.  I think we were waiting to call their bluff, and they didn’t blink. We didn’t really have a Plan B.”

The NHL of 2012 is much different from the cash-strapped, clutch-and-grab NHL of 2004, and the mood around the bargaining table seems lighter.  Commissioner Gary Bettman characterized the proceedings as “constructive” and “cordial.”  Still, the Players’ Association, led by its new post-lockout executive director Donald Fehr, is fully aware that the union came out the loser in the last CBA.  As Fehr bluntly told The Globe and Mail in June, “The players made what can only be characterized as enormous concessions.”  He took a slightly cooler tone than Bettman in describing the current negotiations, saying only, “The parties are approaching this in an appropriate and business-like manner.”

How will the players approach the bargaining table this summer — will they be tougher, more business-like, slower to blink?  Do they have a Plan B?

Not only is there a Plan B, but the NHLPA sets a new tone on the homepage of its website, where the lead headline announces: “NHLPA Members to Compete in Charity Ping-Pong Tournament at Smashfest!”

Foremost on the minds of NHLPA members: Smashfest!

The union may be reticent on the matter of collective bargaining, but its members are overflowing with enthusiasm for Smashfest.  Hosted by journeyman center Dominic Moore (currently a San Jose Shark), this “inaugural bash” promises to do nothing less than “crown hockey’s ping-pong champion.”  For $200 a ticket, fans of hockey and of table tennis can come together to witness the drama as, “For The First Time Ever, A True Champion Will Be Crowned.”  As if ping-pong isn’t enough to draw crowds, the event also offers “NHL stars, free-flowing beer, and plenty of food.”

Not to be mistaken for a frivolous lark, Smashfest will raise money for concussion research.  Career-ending-concussion poster boy Eric Lindros — who last month was passed over for the third time by the selection committee of the Hockey Hall of Fame — leads the roster of players trading their sticks for paddles.

Ping-pong junkies who just can’t wait for the excitement to begin can monitor the website’s countdown clock until the first player opens serve today at 7 p.m.  The site also provides interesting facts about little-known NHL players participating in the table tennis tournament.  For example, the event says of its host, “Dominic’s tenacity and work ethic make him a hot commodity” — presumably on the ping-pong circuit.