Just trying to circumvent the spirit of the thing

The Kovalchuk decision, found through Tom Gulitti’s tweet, is here, though you may have to have a Google account to read it. While I’m no Constitutional scholar, I get an enumerated powers vibe from it. The NHLPA pointed out that the CBA says it’s not cap circumvention if a contract’s provisions each follow the CBA legally. The league said, and arbitrator Richard Bloch agreed, that its powers are broader.

Had to laugh on Page 12 at Bloch’s appeal to “competitive fairness.” If you were to go in blindly, you would know — right at those two words — exactly where this decision was going to land. Only better tip-off: if he invoked ticket prices.

Also laughed at Page 18, when Bloch joins the league, rejecting the contract’s assumption that Kovalchuk would want to play for $550,000 a year toward the end, “a 95 (percent) reduction against previous average earnings.” On the off chance he’s up to it, the $98 million in the bank probably would ease the sting a little. Also, the league and Bloch figure $550,000 “will undoubtedly constitute compensation well below the then-applicable major league minimum.” Well, now who’s making assumptions about 2022? (It’s nice to know there’s at least one person who’s not waiting for the economy to collapse.)

Getting away from the salary cap:

Michael Davies, who arrived here at the end of the season and played three playoff games, signed with the Wolves. He’s one of only four men who played in playoff games for Bridgeport but didn’t play a regular-season game. (This doesn’t count the various others who played regular-season games after making a Bridgeport debut in the playoffs.)

Riley Cote becomes an assistant under Greg Gilbert and Kjell Samuelsson with the Phantoms.

Fun with geography, stop-the-world-I-wanna-get-off edition.

And RIP, Richard B. Elsberry.

Michael Fornabaio

Just trying to circumvent the spirit of the thing

The Kovalchuk decision, found through Tom Gulitti’s tweet, is here, though you may have to have a Google account to read it. While I’m no Constitutional scholar, I get an enumerated powers vibe from it. The NHLPA pointed out that the CBA says it’s not cap circumvention if a contract’s provisions each follow the CBA legally. The league said, and arbitrator Richard Bloch agreed, that its powers are broader.

Had to laugh on Page 12 at Bloch’s appeal to “competitive fairness.” If you were to go in blindly, you would know — right at those two words — exactly where this decision was going to land. Only better tip-off: if he invoked ticket prices.

Also laughed at Page 18, when Bloch joins the league, rejecting the contract’s assumption that Kovalchuk would want to play for $550,000 a year toward the end, “a 95 (percent) reduction against previous average earnings.” On the off chance he’s up to it, the $98 million in the bank probably would ease the sting a little. Also, the league and Bloch figure $550,000 “will undoubtedly constitute compensation well below the then-applicable major league minimum.” Well, now who’s making assumptions about 2022? (It’s nice to know there’s at least one person who’s not waiting for the economy to collapse.)

Getting away from the salary cap:

Michael Davies, who arrived here at the end of the season and played three playoff games, signed with the Wolves. He’s one of only four men who played in playoff games for Bridgeport but didn’t play a regular-season game. (This doesn’t count the various others who played regular-season games after making a Bridgeport debut in the playoffs.)

Riley Cote becomes an assistant under Greg Gilbert and Kjell Samuelsson with the Phantoms.

Fun with geography, stop-the-world-I-wanna-get-off edition.

And RIP, Richard B. Elsberry.

Michael Fornabaio