NHL Lockout

[PhilDernerJr]

Whether it is a lockout or a strike, I am against both players and owners in this dispute. I see greed on all sides, and the players get no pity from me.

Without even getting into it, I don't think anyone is being treated unfairly, and the ONLY losers in all of this are the arena employees, and even more so...the fans. You're talking about regular people who work all day and all they want to do is go home and watch a little puck to relax. These are the same people that cough up all the money that allow the players and owners to battle it out to begin with. It's as though we are paying them both for a service that they aren't provding. I find it akin to walking in a deli, buying a bottle of Coke, and the cashier fighting with the manager over how they split the $1.25 while I stand waiting to get my change.

The lower and middle class lose while the rich fight the more rich. Thanks for nothin.

[Landing Lights]

I'm not a hockey fan, but I couldn't agree more. You would think they would have learned their lessons from the last time this happened and fans left the sport in droves as a result. A couple of years ago, I read a piece saying that the NFL/NBA/NHL should look at how baseball has done things where both sides couldn't be happier. Until relatively recently, labor relations in the MLB were abysmal at best. Now they are wonderful. Unfortunately, none of the other leagues seem to have taken this advice.

[lijk604]

Phil, I could not agree more that what we are seeing is two very well paid groups, fighting over their share of a huge pie. The fans will suffer, as they will feel scorned. The sport itself will suffer due to the fact that even the most casual fans cant understand how a club can pay two players 100+ million dollar, 13 year contracts, and then also claim they are hurting for money.

However, I feel the arena workers, and the "behind-the-scenes" folks will suffer the most. Without hockey, they do not have a job to perform, and those "poor owners" will furlough those folks as quickly as they possibly can. Some cities (NY, Philly, Boston, Detroit, Chicago, Dallas, Washington, LA and Toronto) have a basketball team that shares the arena, and those folks at least have something going on to keep them employed.

I hope that cooler heads prevail, and worst case is we only lose a week or two of the season (which they could conceivably make up). Of course the best case scenario is that it gets resolved and things go as planned. Otherwise...the amount of chaos that the average person does not think about (think team travel) will occur.

[cancidas]

Thanks for nothin.

amen... now i've got nothing to look forward to aside from cold wx.

[Speedbagel_001]

No idea why nobody in the NHL can learn from their past mistakes. But anyway, two points I'd like to add:


1) The players caved big time on the last go-around. They allowed the cap system to be created, which is what the owners wanted. Now the owners want to lower the cap much more than before and lower the players' share of the pie. From the players viewpoint, they're ticked off that the owners are demanding they give back even more than they did the last time - so they are questioning what was the point of giving anything for the last CBA. At some point, enough is enough.


2) The players said they would be willing to play under the now expiring CBA until a new deal could be made. Bettman said no. Either a deal is done now, or the players will be locked out.


Sure, it's hard to sympathize with millionaires fighting against millionaires. But based on the CBA problems hockey has endured in the last twenty years, I'd say it's time for the owners to be the ones to "give in" a bit this time around.

[lijk604]

I was reading a blog today regarding HRR (Hockey Related Revenue) which is the real meat & potatoes here. What is it? Just gate sales? Does merchandise count? How about parking or food concessions at the arenas? Nobody has been able to put on paper what exactly "HRR" is. Until that is officially defined, I doubt we see a resolution.

Now, the author goes on to ask...if the players are asking the owners to share their revenue with other owners better, WHY aren't the players sharing theirs? The example given:
Sidney Crosby, makes over $100 million over the life of his contract in ENDORSEMENTS, (this money is not charged against a teams cap). Now, is Crosby good? Sure he is (doesn't mean I like it ) but, he is good because he has a supporting cast, and he plays against other players most of who are not in his skill category. Why don't the superstars revenue share their endorsement money with the other players? Without the supporting cast, you don't have a team, or a game, and then you do not make that money.

It's definitely a different way of looking at things. The author is trying to point out that among owners you have billionaires yet, there still are the haves & have nots. You have the same situation amongst the players, only they are just millionaires. However, for the players, someone like Crosby, Ovechkin, Weber, Suter, etc can live for a while on their endorsements. They should have some money squirreled away from the past year. But you take a Michael Haley, Andrew McDonald, Corey Potter or Brad Staubitz...these guys barely gross $500k a year. Take away your agents cut, "fancy digs" rent, "nice car" payment, etc. and these guys now make just a little more than an upper middle class family. A lockout to these guys hurts...how about those players (who are eligible) on 2-way deals, if they have to play in the AHL they are lucky to top $60k!

Do I feel sorry for any of these guys? No. I just wish they would remember how bad the last lockout hurt the NHL's popularity. If the people don't come back, revenues will be down farther than they expect, and that cap will drop like a stone.

[megatop412]

Part of the reason I spend zero time watching or reading about sports is this. It's astonishing to me that this nonsense is allowed to even exist. I refuse to contribute in any way to an enterprise which is essentially another form of corporate America. Millions upon millions of dollars getting thrown around like it's Monopoly money while our schools suffer tremendously is simply incomprehensible to me. I know this is blasphemy to sports fans but, I think everyone can at least agree that this stuff is way out of control. Not saying we should do away with Major League sports, but it shouldn't cost me an arm and a leg to take my son to an Eagles game for pete's sake.

[PhilDernerJr]

Part of the reason I spend zero time watching or reading about sports is this. It's astonishing to me that this nonsense is allowed to even exist. I refuse to contribute in any way to an enterprise which is essentially another form of corporate America. Millions upon millions of dollars getting thrown around like it's Monopoly money while our schools suffer tremendously is simply incomprehensible to me. I know this is blasphemy to sports fans but, I think everyone can at least agree that this stuff is way out of control. Not saying we should do away with Major League sports, but it shouldn't cost me an arm and a leg to take my son to an Eagles game for pete's sake.

4,000% right.

[puckstopper55]

Everyone here is well informed of what is going on and its not just a bunch of peoples flapping gums, which is awesome! If I had to pick a side I would side with the players because they did cave and give in a lot last time. As for the owners crying "poverty", well thats their own fault. The owners like Dolan who just spend $ shouldnt be entitled to recoup anything with respect to salary roll backs. Didnt they approve the original contracts to begin with? They are the ones who decided to spend (or over spend) on players.

[captmjk16]

This whole situation pisses me off for more reasons than I can count. IF (heaven forbid) there is a lockout of any significant length of time, I think it just may be enough to nearly ruin hockey in the USA. We've already got a handful of teams that can't make ends meet as is, and many more aren't exactly making money hand over fist. Outside the original six, and a few other teams it's not too much of a stretch to see the fans giving up. Two missed seasons in less than 10 years? Get real NHL...

The best reason to watch hockey (besides it being the most incredible sport, not that I'm biased or anything ), is because the players are general the least annoying, overpaid, obnoxious, dramatic, and cocky of all the major sports, though this past offseason (and Crysby's return from injury) has diminished that to some degree.

These owners and players really do need to consider everyone below them who makes it possible for them to live their dreams (and make a TON of cash while doing it) and quit this bickering, whining, bitching and crying and get back on the damn ice, if for no other reason then to help the people who actually work for a living provide for their families. From the ushers to the bus drivers, officials to the equipment guys, and all the other businesses that rely on sports to stay in business, get over this immature BS and talk it out like big boys.

[wunaladreamin]

It is a load of horse **** but remember the give backs the players gave in to in order to end the previous labor dispute. Now the league wants more? Gary Bettman makes in excess of $7M per year to hand out a ****ing trophy and **** up a league. Where's his giveback? Normally, I'd bitch about both sides, but what's right is right.