12374 replies to this topic

[Colin226]

ugh why wait till wednesday to start this, lets start this process monday!

Canadian holiday Monday

[Devs1965]

but I watched Brodeur: A Winner Above All on NHL network and wow we all know how amazing he is as an athlete but the show made me truly respect him more then I ever had the games played the saves playoff shutouts year after year doing just about the same thing. Any Devils fan should see this if you have not already, with that show and this thread this has been the best off season without winning a cup! Thanks Lou and Kovy, and Marty will always be the face of the Devils IMO!
Oh and Thank you to all on this site for making my summer a hockey filled one.
GO Devils!

[overtime98]

Well here's hoping Dick Block can do us a favor.

LOL

[msweet]

Well here's hoping Dick Block can do us a favor.

Was going to make the *exact* same post LMAO

[HOLLYWOOD]

Getting To Know Richard Block, the Kovalchuk Arbitrator, by Bobby Scribe (LA Kings)

http://lakingsnews.c...huk-arbitrator/

Posted on July 30, 2010 by Bobby Scribe

It is now widely believed that the arbitrator for the NHLPA v. NHL grievance regarding the Ilya Kovalchuk 17 year, $102 million dollar contract and whether its terms violate the CBA will be Richard Bloch. Bloch is a graduate of Dartmouth and received a Masters in Business and a Law Degree from the University of Michigan. He has been arbitrating sports related matters for well over 20 years.

He may be best known for upholding the suspension of Terrell Owens (that’s football for those who are wondering what NHL team Owens may have played for). Thereafter, the NFLPA executive director, Gene Upshaw said emphatically that he would have Bloch removed from the process. He stated, “when an arbitrator decides to (mis)interpret and add on to the collective bargaining agreement, he can’t be an arbitrator any more.”

Bloch has been involved in many NHL arbitrators. To pick a few, he gave Scott Gomez (when he was a Devil) a $5 million dollar award for the 2006-2007 season. That left New Jersey scrambling to figure out how to sign him with the cap issues (sound familiar?) and we all know what happened then. He awarded Ray Bourque $2.25 million (with which Bourque was very disappointed) for the 1993-1994 season. That award made Bourque the highest paid defenseman for that coming season. He ruled that the Rangers had to pay Bobby Holik and Jed Ortmeyer their respective signing bonuses the team withheld during and after the 2004-05 NHL lockout.

His decisions do not give a clear indication of any bias. One I suppose can read into the Owens decision. LAKingsnews is still digging to see what else we can find about Bloch and his past NHL decisions. If we find anything useful that may show a pattern, we will update this article.

As a side note, do not be surprised if members of our Kings are asked to testify. They are after all witnesses to the negotiations that took place and those negotiations may not be confidential. This may be the topic of another article.

[David Puddy]

The arbiter has been chosen (hope this joke hasn't been used yet )

We've got jackals in the courtyard!!

[ClarkyDano23]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOfZLb33uCg

Beat me to it, lol

[Masked Fan]

Let's all go to the arbitration site with signs and banners! FREE KOVY!

HELL NO!!!!

WE want

"LOCK UP KOVY" signs!!!


17 years to life!!!

[mmajeski06]

Don't know why, but for some reason I feel the fact that Bloch is originally from NJ could only help us. Unless he grew up a Rangers / Flyers fan and is now a Caps fan...then we are screwed.

[Amberite]

Don't know why, but for some reason I feel the fact that Bloch is originally from NJ could only help us. Unless he grew up a Rangers / Flyers fan and is now a Caps fan...then we are screwed.

Yep, it could hurt us as much as help us. At least if he was from Arizona or somewhere like that, we can say he probably has no real thoughts about the Devils. But if he's from NJ, he can be a fan of any number of the rivalry teams we have in the area, at which point it could definitely hurt us.

[theamazingtiny]

This guy doesn't seem to rule in favor of the player/team much...

[Triumph]

i think if we all wear our tinfoil hats it will go okay.

give me a break, this guy being from new jersey means absolutely nothing. he's been a sports arbitrator for years. he ruled against the rangers in 2008. he ruled that gomez should be paid 5 million a season in 2006.

[mrthemike]

He's by the book...hence why he was chosen.

[Amberite]

i think if we all wear our tinfoil hats it will go okay.

give me a break, this guy being from new jersey means absolutely nothing. he's been a sports arbitrator for years. he ruled against the rangers in 2008. he ruled that gomez should be paid 5 million a season in 2006.

Absolutely, I agree with you. But still, we're all human and and you never know what's going on inside a guy's head. All I'm saying is I would have felt better about him if he wasn't from NJ.

[mmajeski06]

Maybe we are reading into it too much, but I do find it strange the league went with ties to Jersey. You would think it would be someone from a neutral area. Especially since this decision will have a big effect on the Devils, as well as Newark. Kovy = More ticket sales.
If he does accept the contract I see other teams fans crying foul and saying his roots had something to do with the decision.

[Triumph]

Maybe we are reading into it too much, but I do find it strange the league went with ties to Jersey. You would think it would be someone from a neutral area. Especially since this decision will have a big effect on the Devils, as well as Newark. Kovy = More ticket sales.
If he does accept the contract I see other teams fans crying foul and saying his roots had something to do with the decision.

the guy has been an arbitrator for the NHL for years. where he comes from has nothing to do with it. it's entirely possible that he is not even a hockey fan, as he is 67 years old and grew up in new jersey in the 1950s.

[Neb00rs]

i think if we all wear our tinfoil hats it will go okay.

give me a break, this guy being from new jersey means absolutely nothing. he's been a sports arbitrator for years. he ruled against the rangers in 2008. he ruled that gomez should be paid 5 million a season in 2006.

Right. I'm sure this guy takes his profession seriously. It doesn't matter who the hell he's a fan of or where he grew up.

This guy doesn't seem to rule in favor of the player/team much...

This makes absolutely zero sense. Arbitrations are usually Player vs. Team.

HELL NO!!!!

WE want

"LOCK UP KOVY" signs!!!


17 years to life!!!

Well done Mr. Fan. Clever.

Edited by ben00rs, 31 July 2010 - 08:13 PM.

[DH26]

Too bad it wasn't an 18 yr deal or we could just play 18 and life by skid row. Missed opportunities

[Legion15]

HELL NO!!!!

WE want

"LOCK UP KOVY" signs!!!


17 years to life!!!

haha unless he gets off at age 40 for good behavior

[Bryan]

Too bad it wasn't an 18 yr deal or we could just play 18 and life by skid row. Missed opportunities

Well there's always a rewrite of Winger's " Seventeen" that we could work with.