Justin's Political Corner

The greatest irony in the National Hockey League pulling together a focus group to test its messaging in the lockout: That hiring GOP toad Frank Luntz to handle said focus group probably further tarnishes their image.

(This isn’t meant to be a partisan comment, mind you; rather a definition of terms, in that Luntz frequently works for the GOP and is, in fact, akin in his demeanor to an amphibious reptile that lives in a bog and devours insects for sustenance.)

Barry Petchesky of Deadspin on Monday published an inside look at an NHL focus group facilitated by Luntz Global, which previously brought the world such memorable messaging as “the death tax.”

From Deadspin:

As for the owners’ slogan, one laughable phrase kept coming up: “Shared sacrifice.”

“Maybe we asked for too much at first,” Luntz’s mock-NHL-exec speech went, “but we’re willing to give. The NHLPA has to be willing to give as well, if we’re going to give the fans back their hockey. There’s no way we’re going to do this without both sides bringing something to the table.”

The NHL is losing the publicity war. While most fans categorize the negotiations as the rich vs. the richer, there’s almost no sympathy for Bettman and the owners for promulgating their third lockout in 18 years. That’s a perception they’re desperate to change. While concessions will come at the bargaining table, the court of public opinion will dictate which side feels the most pressure to compromise. And, of course, when hockey does come back, the league doesn’t want fans to feel so bitter that they stay away from the game. That’s where Luntz’s research fits in.

Check out the eight exercise packet and Barry’s take on the matter over on Deadspin. A few reactions to an insightful piece …

(A little background: I’ve worked in politics and in market research before, so this stuff is in my wheelhouse.)

• The NHL does market research fairly regularly, but we’ve learned this was the first lockout-specific focus group since the work stoppage began.

What does that mean regarding the potential duration or intensification of the negotiations? I actually read it as a positive sign that we’re going to get meaningful talks on the big issues soon, as the NHL is attempting to ascertain how public opinion could weight on the players depending on the timing or contents of a League offer. You don’t go down this road, strategically, unless you believe the information will be vital.

So for this complete non-issue, the NHL commissioned one of the world’s biggest market research firms to ask a specific question about public sentiment on revenue sharing. OK then.

• Not a single question about giving Bettman sunglasses and a surfboard to increase his demographic appeal? Really, Frank?

• If you’re wondering what the NHL will be shoveling your way in the near future:

Deadspin

• Imagine our surprise when we discovered Puck Daddy’s “What We Lost When The NHL Lost Opening Night” column — word for word for word for word — served as the basis for one of Luntz’s exercises.

Divide and conquer, the formula from the 2005 lockout victory.

The players and their agents have fruitlessly tried to make the same play with the owners — there’s actually a reference in the Luntz materials to a “group of eight owners” shutting out the rest of their brethren in talks. But there’s a better chance that the NHL succeeds with that gambit because you’re dealing with players of different ages, salary levels and personal lives.

It’s one of the reasons Donald Fehr encourages the swift, mass exodus of players to Europe: Both as a show of solidarity, but also as a way to stay happy by playing hockey and making coin.

Clearly, the NHL still feels like there’s a chance to break the union by playing up a schism between the players and Fehr. But Fehr’s worked for more than a year on solidifying that support. It’s not going to be as easy as it was seven years ago.

h/t: Yahoo! Sports’ Puck Daddy Blog

This is all Gary Bettman’s fault that this is happening. It’s also the owners’ faults. And it’s also Mitt Romney’s and Paul Ryan’s faults that it happened. 

NEW YORK — The NHL says there will be no bargaining with the players’ union Saturday, leaving nothing to stop a lockout.

The action adds to the labor unrest across American professional sports. This will be the third lockout of a major sports league in 18 months, following ones in the NFL and the NBA.

“We talked with the union this morning and in light of the fact that they have nothing new to offer, or any substantive response to our last proposal, there would be nothing gained by convening a bargaining session at this time,” NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly told ESPN.com.

“I’m sure we will keep in touch in the coming days and schedule meetings to the extent they might be useful or appropriate. We are sorry for where we are. Not what we hoped or expected.” 

Daly had conferred with players’ association special counsel Steve Fehr, the brother of NHLPA executive director Donald Fehr, to see if there would be face-to-face talks.

“Today we suggested that the parties meet in advance of the owners’ self-imposed deadline of midnight tonight,” said Steve Fehr. “Don Fehr, myself and several players on the negotiating committee were in the city and prepared to meet. The NHL said that it saw no purpose in having a formal meeting. There have been and continue to be private, informal discussions between representatives of both sides.”

This was the third straight day the sides spoke by phone but avoided the negotiating table. By early afternoon it became clear the league was heading to its fourth work stoppage since 1992.

For nearly a year, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman has said he will lock out players if a collective bargaining agreement wasn’t set by the time the current one expires.

It now appears unlikely that training camps will open next week. The regular season had been scheduled to begin Oct. 11, but that is also in peril.

While this lockout might not wipe out the whole season as the one in 2004-05 did, a good chunk of games could be lost without productive talks soon.

H/T: ESPN.com

Here’s the New Jersey Devils winger on “The Thom & Jeff Show,” which, as far as we can tell, is just an Internet radio show. Considering the language (there’s your warning), we have to imagine this never found the actual airwaves.

From the 07.11.2012 edition of InsideSTL.com’s The Thom and Jeff Show:

http://www.sbnation.com/nhl/2012/7/12/3155651/cam-janssen-interview-video-devils

On his Devils losing to the Los Angeles Kings in the Stanley Cup finals:

Host: “The first time I did a fat chick, a buddy picked me up from a party and I was hung over and he goes, ‘Do you realize what you just did?’ … I would imagine it’s something like that. It’s like you had a chance, and then it’s like …”

Janssen: “Damn fat broads, man.”

Host: “So the L.A. Kings are the fat broads?”

Janssen: “They are. They’re the fat broads that you regret bangin’, and I’ve been there and done that.”

On scaring opposing players:

Host: “Are there certain guys that you know you’ve got the mindfuck on them?”

Janssen: [laughter] “Oh, absolutely. Are you kiddin’ me? [more laughter] I love it. And you know what, I respect a lot of the guys and you wanna have people respect you. If you’re a fuckin’ dipshit out there, you’re not going to get any respect and other teams aren’t gonna respect you. And if other teams don’t respect you, then they’re not gonna sign you and it’s just kind of a trickle effect.

“But you wanna be scary. You wanna put the fear of fuckin’ God in people’s eyes, and not just, ‘Oh, I’m gonna beat you up’ — no, ‘I’m gonna catch you with your fuckin’ head down and hurt you because you’re not gonna know I’m comin’, because I know how to hit.’ Fighting guys is one thing because I know, ‘Oh, I won’t fight you. I’ll just turtle.’ Whatever. But if you have the puck and you know how to hit and you can hurt guys with hits like I know how to do, that’s what puts the fear of God into people.”

On trash talk:

Janssen: “There’s some shit-talkin’ that goes down that pisses some people off. There’s a lot of personal shit, man, like, guys know personal shit. … You wanna get in people’s heads to get them off their fuckin’ game and don’t get me wrong, you don’t wanna go too deep with shit because we all have our issues here. Let’s be honest.”

Host: “But if the guy was suckin’ cock four weeks ago, you’re gonna let him know about it?”

Janssen: “Oh, if he’s suckin’ cock, he’s gettin’ his ass kicked.” [laughter]

Give the interviewers credit here: There’s plenty of great content in this interview, including talk about how players might deal with a potential lockout, how players deal with each other and lean on each other during offseason workouts, etc.

But man, talk about crossing the line. At least it’s a real look into the mind of Cam Janssen — and, unfortunately, likely the minds of many other players in the NHL — but sometimes it’s best if this stuff just stays out of public view.

h/t: Travis Hughes at SBNation.com

With Brian Elliott’s shutout on Sunday against Phoenix, the Blues have set a new franchise record for shutouts in one season (14).

The previous record (13) was set during the 1968-69 season by Jacques Plante and Glenn Hall.