NHL makes an end run; channels update replacement programming

There’s still more talk about the NHL labor negotiations than there is negotiating, seriously jeopardizing the NHL’s deadline of having a written collective-bargaining agreement in place by Thursday in order to play a full schedule.

Today’s juicy tidbit, credited to Yahoo Sports: The NHL gave gave owners and general managers a brief window last week during which they were permitted to talk to players about the league’s last proposal. It’s disguised as an attempt to “express the views and opinions of the Club and the League concerning the proposal currently on the table,” but it was an end-run around the players’ association, pure and simple.

With the lockout continuing, Fox Sports West and Prime Ticket are still trying to fill time slots that would have been taken up by games. They started showing classic playoff games involving the Ducks on Tuesdays and classic Kings games on Wednesdays, and here’s the schedule for the next two weeks.

The NHL has officially canceled the schedule only through Nov. 1, but it’s a good bet that another block of games will be canceled if there’s no labor agreement by the end of this week.

Ducks:

Oct. 30, 7 p.m. — 2003 Stanley Cup Final, Game 3 vs. New Jersey Devils;

Oct. 30, 9:30 p.m. — 2003 Stanley Cup Final, Game 4. vs. Devils;

Nov. 6, 7:00 p.m. — 2003 Stanley Cup Final, Game 6 vs. Devils;

Nov. 6, 9:30 p.m. — 2007 first round, Game 5 vs. Minnesota Wild.

Kings:

Oct. 31, 7 p.m. — 2012 second round, Game 1 vs. St. Louis;

Oct. 31, 9:30 p.m. — 2012 second round, Game 2 vs. St. Louis;

Nov. 7, 7 p.m. — 2012 second round, Game 3 vs. St. Louis;

Nov. 7, 9:30 p.m. — 2012 second round, Game 4 vs. St. Louis.

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