1718 replies to this topic

[Satans Hockey]

The longer this garbage goes on the more stupid I feel for giving these greedy people my money. If we miss the full season I really don't know how I'm going to give them any money next year.

[NJDevs4978]

http://espn.go.com/n...ontracts-afford

"It's disappointing. If you can't afford to (sign contracts) then you shouldn't do it," Suter said. "(Leipold) signed us to contracts. At the time he said everything was fine. Yeah, it's disappointing. A couple months before, everything is fine, and now they want to take money out of our contracts that we already signed."

[eldon]

Hey Ryan Suter, my harp is playing for you. How will you ever survive with your upfront big signing bonus. You wanted Donald Fehr who stopped baseball which was making boatloads of money, and expect him to do the same with the NHL? NHL hockey, where weekly ratings struggle to get a 1.0, are regularly beaten by wnba games, are clearly not in the same $ league as in terms of TV revenue that the other top 3 sports have, and where ticket prices are already high, and you're surprised by the results? I hate Bettman & I hope he is no longer a part of this league sometime soon, but I'm stil on the owners side. By the way, when us schlums are in a struggling business, we got to give back too to keep our jobs, sometimes it's salary, sometimes it's contributing more to pay for healthcare, or some companies, terminate pension programs. And I'm sure the union wants to keep those 25 players salaries for each of those franchises which struggle (read; Phoenix, Florida, Dallas, even our team, etc), so it's in the best interest of the union too that the NHL wants a contract so all the franchises can survive financially.

[Triumph]

Hey Ryan Suter, my harp is playing for you. How will you ever survive with your upfront big signing bonus. You wanted Donald Fehr who stopped baseball which was making boatloads of money, and expect him to do the same with the NHL?

Do you even pretend to understand why Donald Fehr stopped baseball? Look, I was young, I hated him for that. But the owners wanted to unilaterally impose a salary cap. The players had been playing without a CBA for a year. Remember when Fehr stopped baseball all those other times? I sure don't. They lost a season, it was awful, but hockey has lost 1.5 and we're heading towards 2.

NHL hockey, where weekly ratings struggle to get a 1.0, are regularly beaten by wnba games, are clearly not in the same $ league as in terms of TV revenue that the other top 3 sports have, and where ticket prices are already high, and you're surprised by the results?

He signed a contract this summer that his owner is now negotiating to reduce. You think that's fair? It's a signed contract. Yes, as maxpower will point out, contract values are not guaranteed in the NHL because of the escrow system. Still, as long as the league doesn't stagnate, those contracts get paid out. The 5% cap inflator will definitely be gone in the next CBA, and that was really the only risk players took of not having their contracts paid out.

I hate Bettman & I hope he is no longer a part of this league sometime soon, but I'm stil on the owners side. By the way, when us schlums are in a struggling business, we got to give back too to keep our jobs, sometimes it's salary, sometimes it's contributing more to pay for healthcare, or some companies, terminate pension programs. And I'm sure the union wants to keep those 25 players salaries for each of those franchises which struggle (read; Phoenix, Florida, Dallas, even our team, etc), so it's in the best interest of the union too that the NHL wants a contract so all the franchises can survive financially.

The union doesn't care about the 25 minimum salary or around there jobs that would be lost in the event of contraction. Hell, last time around, players were openly suggesting contraction. However, the NHL is not a struggling business. It had record revenues last year. Its revenues are up an incredible amount in the last 7 years - it is the opposite of a struggling business. It is a booming business. But the owners want to reduce the amount of money that goes to players. The players have accepted that ultimately their percentage of the revenues will decrease - that the owners have leverage and they can use it. However, the owners are unwilling to make good on the contracts they signed.

When the NHL negotiates as a whole, it's fair to talk about it as a whole. Yes, some teams are not doing so well - that's why revenue sharing is and should be a larger part of the next CBA. But it probably won't be, besides the geographic restrictions on it being lifted (because Bill Wirtz died). The NHL will continue to expect its money-losing franchises to get by despite a salary floor that is obviously too high

Edited by Triumph, 27 October 2012 - 11:51 AM.

[Devilsfan118]

Looks like the Winter Classic is gone as of Thursday.

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

And with all that Sandy has wrought, suddenly billionaires and millionaires squabbling really seems like a steaming pile of insignificant turd. The hell with all of 'em.

[Hi, I'm VALUE!]

And with all that Sandy has wrought, suddenly billionaires and millionaires squabbling really seems like a steaming pile of insignificant turd. The hell with all of 'em.

Post of the day

[ThreeCups]

I just want them to cancel the season already and be done with it....

They should be ashamed of themselves. The league will never recover from this, period.

[Triumph]

They are not canceling the season and this will be forgotten about in a year.

[Jas0nMacIsaac]

The real pressure is losing games once Baseball and Football seasons are done. I really don't think the owners want to lose that portion of the season. That is usually when attendance rises in multisport cities. If they salvage a late december season the owners still make a nice profit. The players are essentially playing for nothing when insurance is taken into consideration so there is pressure to make a deal on their side as well.

[SterioDesign]

This will never end... wtv what the deal and as fair as it could get... the owners will have to give a little... which they are not at the moment... then i think we ALL know that when the next CBA expire that the owners will try to have back what they gave in this one (if they give anything)

i seriously expect a lockout every year of CBA negotiation, all those fvckers are way too greedy

[DaneykoIsGod]

And with all that Sandy has wrought, suddenly billionaires and millionaires squabbling really seems like a steaming pile of insignificant turd. The hell with all of 'em.

Post of the day

Seconded.

[Devils Dose]

They just said on ESPN that the League canceled the Winter Classic.

[DevsMan84]

They just said on ESPN that the League canceled the Winter Classic.

After what happened this week here in nj this is probably the least important news I've heard all week.

[DevilMinder]

Like a mouse squeeking into the wind of a hurricane, the world shrugs as the NHL uses one of their weapon of mass destruction.

[eldon]

Yea, thanks NHL for reminding us all how you keep fighting over money, while we watch and read heart-wrenching stories from the hurricane, throw out food because of no power, and wait in line for gas. Pox on you all!

[MadDog2020]

And in the midst of all this suffering and destruction- right in its own back yard- the NHL, instead of attempting in some way to aid or help victims, cancels the Winter Classic. I couldn't possibly hate this league any more than I do right now.

[halfsharkalligatorhalfman]

Well I think cancelling the Winter Classic is just a power play by the NHL. It's pretty obvious. When the season eventually comes back I think there's a legit chance the league could organize an outdoor game if they wanted to.

Which bring me to one of my few criticisms of Fehr and how the NHLPA has handled this. Why aren't they putting pressure on the league with tactics like this? If I were Fehr I'd respond with two public statements

1. I'd say I was willing to go down to 50/50 with a soft landing determined entirely by revenue split (i.e. 57% next year, 56% year after, 55% etc) instead of the mechanisms they proposed earlier. It's clear that's the compromise, and that's where we're headed.

2. I'd say I refuse to accept any CBA offer without some form of lockout insurance for next time. A mechanism that said after the CBA expires if a new deal is not in place, players get 25% of payment next year up front. Something like that. Even if it's bogus and the owners would never go for it, it would certainly get a lot of fan support and put some pressure on the NHL.

Fehr right now seems to be only reacting. On the one hand, I get it. It's clear the NHL had no interest in saving the first 20% of the season and just wanted to use losing it as leverage for the new deal. What can you do in that case? But still I'd like to see him apply some pressure here.

Edited by halfsharkalligatorhalfman, 02 November 2012 - 02:57 PM.

[SterioDesign]

One thing that i hear a lot is that Bettman doesnt give a sh!t about hockey and that its all about the money... well yes... but Fehr doesnt give a sh!t about hockey either... he was brought in to negotiate a deal and thats it, the guy just want to win and won't bend at all.

[Zubie#8]

I dont care about this crap anymore, after what happened to our state.