sw61776 Posted August 26, 2004 Share Posted August 26, 2004 http://www.thn.com Union: no hockey for a year August 26, 2004 There will be no NHL season in 2004-05 if you believe the what the union is telling its members. According to a report, the union didn't mix words when meeting with members of the U.S.'s entry in the World Cup of Hockey at the team's hotel prior to the U.S. vs. Canada exhibition game Wednesday. "We were basically told [by union boss Bob Goodenow and senior director Ted Saskin] the same thing that we've been hearing all summer and it doesn't sound like they're getting anywhere in these negotiations," Team U.S.A.'s Bryan Smolinski told Sun Media. "They said they were going to meet and don't expect anything to happen." It's the same old story. Is there going to be a salary cap? No. Are they getting anywhere in discussions? No. And we were warned that we had to be prepared for the lockout to last a year." While NHL negotiators refused to comment on the talks, which produced nothing of any significance on Wednesday but are expected to continue Thursday, they continue to hold fast to their position that "cost certainty" is needed if the NHL is going to survive. The Collective Bargaining Agreement expires in 19 days on Sept. 15. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pepperkorn Posted August 26, 2004 Share Posted August 26, 2004 http://www.thn.comUnion: no hockey for a year August 26, 2004 There will be no NHL season in 2004-05 if you believe the what the union is telling its members. According to a report, the union didn't mix words when meeting with members of the U.S.'s entry in the World Cup of Hockey at the team's hotel prior to the U.S. vs. Canada exhibition game Wednesday. mix words? DUDE! The saying is MINCE words! WHY WHY WHY do editors let this sh!te slide! :argh: Our vocabulary is just going all to hell! I'm a grampy... I'm just too stodgy for words aren't I! But I hate to see us lose our vocabulary... it seems to be de-evolving not growing or anything.. oh WHAT-ever. I'm just going to block out all that no hockey crud he's peddling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RowdyFan42 Posted August 26, 2004 Share Posted August 26, 2004 You're not alone, PK. I noticed that too, but I decided not to raise a big stink. Good to know there's someone who's more grammatically anal than I am. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizDevil30 Posted August 26, 2004 Share Posted August 26, 2004 I guess Goodenow didn't attend the US/Canada exhibition game in Columbus either. But he's not alone, lots of people didn't. Someone shouldn't mince words with him. If a game with all star rosters can't sell out, what hope does the likes of the Pens, Sabres et al have? The league and its players has to take a good long hard look at themselves, do they want to lose a year and quite possibly lose their livelihoods? Pride goeth before the fall. Stupidity really can be a deadly disease. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Posted August 26, 2004 Share Posted August 26, 2004 I'm thinking that we should all take turns slashing Bob's tires. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ice Man Posted August 26, 2004 Share Posted August 26, 2004 Why is grammer or spelling important in a forum.? The real question is do youn understand the message? I guess with not much else to talk about grammer becomes a hockey issue, In the meantime what would one think that Goodenow would say since nothing is resolved or agreed to as of this date. It's negotiation time. Hold the line is the strategy. NHLPA position will continue to be let the present owners sweat and future owners bail out until some teams fall off the table because they can't afford any more losses. Then the remaining owners will come to some agreement to protect their investment. It's hard ball time. Both sides. Most players can afford to sit out a year. Can the owners afford to pay their staffs and keep the lights on while not making any money and paying expenses or still losing money and now even more? What will the franchise be worth if it stays alive when all settles? So NHLPA will hold the line unless the owners offer something at the table to get things started again with the negotiation. In the meantime it will be a great business opportunity fot the AHL and the ECHl. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DevilMinder Posted August 26, 2004 Share Posted August 26, 2004 Uh..in a published article I would presume that there should be correct spelling and language!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pepperkorn Posted August 26, 2004 Share Posted August 26, 2004 (edited) Why is grammer or spelling important in a forum.? The real question is do youn understand the message? I guess with not much else to talk about grammer becomes a hockey issue, Ah another county heard from! ahhh.. Ice? This was a journalist Edited August 26, 2004 by Pepperkorn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeteyNice Posted August 26, 2004 Share Posted August 26, 2004 I would say the main reason the game did not sell out was lack of hype and coverage. I watch ESPN pretty often and I have not seen one promo spot for the World Cup even though it starts in earnest in a few days. Maybe in Columbus there was more attention paid to it but when an event gets ignorned by the National media I can understand why it would be ignored by people. I think the NHL did a real disservice to the World Cup by not spreading it out more (i.e. having a game in NYC, Boston or Philly, a game in Phoenix or LA, etc). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Posted August 26, 2004 Share Posted August 26, 2004 Ottawa game was sold-out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SueNJ97 Posted August 26, 2004 Share Posted August 26, 2004 Ottawa game was sold-out. Hmmm...US WC exhibition game not sold out....Canadian WC exhibition game sold out. Somehow, this does not surprise me. Although, the St. Paul actual WC games are supposed to be closed to sold out. But I still think this says something about the state of the game in the 2 countries, especially in a place (Columbus) where it isn't really established. Gee, they think fans in certain cities in the US are just coming back after a lockout??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pepperkorn Posted August 26, 2004 Share Posted August 26, 2004 (edited) Oh let's not think about the CBA/lockout.... lets think about simple stuff like religion... and politics or when I get to make out with Scott Stevens.. Edited August 26, 2004 by Pepperkorn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squishyx Posted August 26, 2004 Share Posted August 26, 2004 in theory, could the NHL just hire other players to play? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NJayDevil Posted August 26, 2004 Share Posted August 26, 2004 Idiots run the world. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek21 Posted August 26, 2004 Share Posted August 26, 2004 They don't care. That much is obvious. Both sides are wrong because neither will make any concessions. It's all about greed. They could give two craps about us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ice Man Posted August 26, 2004 Share Posted August 26, 2004 Sides bicker instead of negotiate in NHL labor fight By IRA PODELL, AP Sports Writer August 26, 2004 Photo AP - Aug 26, 5:06 pm EDT More Photos An NHL executive accused the players' association of conducting ``a charade'' and said the union has no interest in working out a new labor deal before a lockout would be imposed in three weeks. The sides concluded a two-day negotiating session in Ottawa on Thursday, but came away seemingly further apart than ever. The current collective bargaining agreement expires Sept. 15, and more and more it appears as though a lockout will occur before any common ground is reached. ``We want to move the process along. They're looking to stall,'' NHL executive vice president Bill Daly told The Associated Press. ``It's clear that they're engaged in a charade. They want to fill the time between now and Sept. 15, force a lockout and take their chances. ``That's unfortunate for the sport, unfortunate for the players, and certainly unfortunate for our fans.'' NHLPA senior director Ted Saskin disputed the claims in an interview with the AP and said that it's the NHL which has been getting ready for a lockout since 1998 in order to get an economic system based on a salary cap. ``To suggest that players are trying to get locked out is absolutely ludicrous,'' Saskin said. ``It's obviously (commissioner Gary Bettman) approach to try use his lockout to put economic pressure on the players to try to force them to agree to a system they would never negotiate across the table.'' The union has vowed it won't accept a salary cap. ADVERTISEMENT In it's only proposal since negotiations on a new deal began last October, the union has put forth a system that includes a luxury tax, a salary rollback, and revenue sharing. The NHL is not interested in that type of deal, and Daly said that the NHLPA has known it for a long time. During recent negotiating sessions, the NHL has proposed six concepts it feels could lead to a solution. The NHLPA rejected them all, saying that each is predicated on a salary cap. ``From everything they've been saying, the only thing that they're going to accept is a salary cap, and no, we're not going to be proposing a salary cap,'' Saskin said. Daly said only one of the six proposed NHL concepts involves a cap. But now he feels it is the NHLPA's turn to come up with a new idea. Instead, he says the players' association has only been conducting fruitless talks. ``It's been 15 months and we're now three weeks away from the expiration of a collective bargaining agreement and we have absolutely nothing from them,'' Daly said. ``Meanwhile, we've made six proposals to them which they rejected after asking questions for almost six hours. ``Each of which would've solved our problems, maintained an average player's salary of $1.3 million, guaranteed the players more than 50 percent of our revenues and we still would've seen multimillion dollar contracts in the sport.'' The sides are scheduled to get together for another two-day meeting next week in Montreal. This latest session was the fourth in seven weeks. But for the second time in two weeks, the talks took what Saskin called a side step. Instead of hammering away at issues, talks about specific team finances were held to try to establish each club's operating practices. Nothing yet has been revealed that could be used to formulate new proposals. ``It's kind of late for a side step, don't you think?'' said Daly, the NHL's chief legal officer. ``I can't even tell you that we're talking about detailed financial information about the teams. We're talking about subject matters that we've talked about with them ad nauseam over the last 5 1/2 years which, if they really felt they had an interest in, I think they could have raised with us and discussed with us earlier in the process.'' Daly is less optimistic that a deal will be in place before the NHL would be shut down, a day after the championship game of the World Cup of Hockey in Toronto. ``They're not intent on negotiating a deal with us,'' he said. ``They're intent on forcing a work stoppage and taking their chances.'' Saskin said Daly's remarks were different from what was expressed when the sides met at the negotiating table. ``It's obviously inconsistent with what they're saying in the room. ... They know that they are going to trigger the lockout to try to put the force on us,'' Saskin said. ``What they're trying to do is make union leadership or the players into the bad guys when they're the ones who are going to start the lockout.'' Saskin still wouldn't give a timetable as to when the union would present another proposal. Bettman said earlier this month that a luxury-tax system is not something that will work for the NHL. The current deal ended a lockout nine years ago, and the agreement has been extended twice. That previous dispute lasted 103 days and cut the 1994-95 season nearly in half. Owners have been preparing for another potential lockout for the last several years, and have built up a $300 million war chest. Updated on Thursday, Aug 26, 2004 6:42 pm EDT http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/news?slug=ap-n...ov=ap&type=lgns Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Puddy Posted August 26, 2004 Share Posted August 26, 2004 They can't hire new players if it's a lockout, since that's the owners' decision. They can if it's a strike. That's what the MLB did in 1995 and the NFL in 1987. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AddictedToHockey Posted August 27, 2004 Share Posted August 27, 2004 Why can't the owners just deal with players outside the union, or more likely, in a new union? After all, in reality, the owners are being MORE than fair with the players, and it doesn't seem right that the players are being allowed to completly obliterate the game in the United States because they feel a $1.5 million average salary is inadequate. Out here in California, we had a grocery store strike for several months, dealing with people making $20-50,000 a year in a place where the average house is over half a million dollars. NHL players (the ones who won't agree to a salary cap, something that should be required in all sports in my opinion!), you should be completely ashamed of your demands when there are real people, real unions with real issues out there. Guess what? Even the grocery store workers ended up back at work in a lot less time than the NHL players are vowing to be off work. If this strike lasts a year, then this life-long, die-hard fan who lives and breathes hockey might consider not attending another NHL game -- and I don't know anyone who loves and lives hockey more than I do. But I'll look to minor leagues, other sports, whatever, before I can support players who absolutely refuse a more than reasonable salary cap. The exception?? If those players pay for my $6,000 a year pair of tickets that I can't afford. Why are they so expensive? Their salaries. So if their salaries aren't causing problems, then I invite them to pay my tickets -- because reasonable ticket prices and reasonable salaries are something that should be expected and demanded by the fans. I hope the players get booed during the World Cup -- that is what they deserve!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Triumph Posted August 27, 2004 Share Posted August 27, 2004 This has nothing to do with the amount of money, simply with egos. The players think that because they generate all the revenue, they're entitled to the greater part of it. Not only that, they think there's more revenue out there than there really is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TK Posted August 27, 2004 Share Posted August 27, 2004 Stupid Union. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pepperkorn Posted August 27, 2004 Share Posted August 27, 2004 What really sucks if this lasts over a year is Rebecca won't be a Devils fan... she'll be a rats fan and that's neat too -- but she won't want to watch NHL games - next season she'll have a memory of the Rats. You know how kids are -- they resist change! AHL will be number one to her NHL will be those guys that can't be trusted to play! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Posted August 27, 2004 Share Posted August 27, 2004 What really sucks if this lasts over a year is Rebecca won't be a Devils fan... she'll be a rats fan and that's neat too -- but she won't want to watch NHL games - next season she'll have a memory of the Rats. You know how kids are -- they resist change! AHL will be number one to her NHL will be those guys that can't be trusted to play! Hey more Rats fans the better lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squishyx Posted August 27, 2004 Share Posted August 27, 2004 They can't hire new players if it's a lockout, since that's the owners' decision. They can if it's a strike. That's what the MLB did in 1995 and the NFL in 1987. but wait, the CBA is expiring, doesn't that there is no contract between the NHLPA and the owners? if thats the case then they're under no obligation to the players so why couldnt they just hire whomever they wanted? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedArmy8 Posted August 27, 2004 Share Posted August 27, 2004 PK: You would have been proud of Andy Rooney last Sunday on Da Ali G show. He walked out of the interview because of bad grammer! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pepperkorn Posted August 27, 2004 Share Posted August 27, 2004 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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