AddictedToHockey

[What career? Most of the AHL guys know they're not making the NHL. Legitimate prospects shouldn't be willing to cross, but other AHLers and certainly ECHL and UHL players would be willing to cross. They don't have legit NHL careers, and they're not jeapordizing a thing.

You don't think you can find 650 guys to play NHL hockey for 100K a year, even for four weeks? You're insane.]

If you think that ECHL players are going to be willing to cross a picket line in a strike situation to play scab hockey, which that would actually be, you're seriously barking up the wrong tree.

The ECHL is unionized. Unions do NOT cross each other's picket lines in a strike situation.

IceThief

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Two comments...

The NHLPA is NOT a union. It is a player's association. In Quebec, and arguably British Columbia, the courts have recognized it is not an union, so using replacement players would not be the issue some have said.

Secondly... anyone who is in a union where the average salary is $13,000 and they support a union's demands where the union's average salary is $1.8 million -- 150 times as much -- for doing the same thing.... if that person sides with the NHLPA, then he truly is clueless, if you ask me.

I watched this today on YES, and I agree with what Bettman is saying. I'm no Bettman fan, but he's clearly vastly superior to Bob Nogoodenow.

The proposal was fair to the players, but the owners were still not being fair to the fans. The $32-42 million range is far too high -- we need a range of something like $20-30 million in order to get ticket prices down, and that's what's needed.

The fact that the NHLPA rejected this totally disgusts me. The owners' next offer had better be lower than this one -- maybe then the NHLPA would get their head out of their backsides.....???

I commend Shanahan for doing this -- the game of hockey is indeed in deep trouble, with declining TV ratings in most of the U.S., safety netting that obscures high-priced seats, and the labor stoppage. I think it's time someone stepped up to the plate and tried to do something about these problems -- perhaps this is at least a start!