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There are no good guys in the NHL’s labor dispute
There is an incessant need to assign blame in the way we analyze situations. We love our dichotomies. There are good guys and bad guys. People who are at fault and people who are victims. Winners. Losers. So on. So forth.
More often than not though, this isn’t how things work. Rarely, in the grand scheme of things, do things break up so conveniently. It would be magnificent for those of us who have to write about things, but it’s simply not the case. When it is broken up that way, it’s largely fabricated.
I’m here to tell you NHL Labor Dispute 2012 ™ is not Gary Bettman’s fault. It’s not Donald Fehr’s fault. It’s not the owners’ fault. It’s not the players’ fault. It’s their collective fault.
They are all utterly terrible.
Gary Bettman
Gary Bettman is a slime ball, I know this, you know this, your mother who hasn’t watched hockey since Bobby Orr’s rookie season knows this. There’s something incredibly offputting about his demeanor and general approach to dealing with human beings that ignites the rage furnace lying within each of us.
He is the Kurtz of this novel and the NHL, the league we watch 10 months of the year, is his vile abyss. He plucks teams from their homes, he locks the doors on seasons, he conducts boos from center ice like a maniacal conductor playing to the audience.
He postures on how the NHL is working diligently to solve the problems that they have played a starring role in creating. They’ve been ready to negotiate for months apparently, they want to talk it out, it’s that damn NHLPA holding up the process.
We just want to work to get the game back for our fans.
No, he doesn’t. He has a job to do and he doesn’t give a damn about you, or me, or your mother who hasn’t watched since Bobby Orr’s rookie season. He is a mouthpiece, nothing more. A smug, infuriating mouthpiece. Yet, for all of his cons, this is not his fault. He’s playing his part, doing his job and his job is to get what his bosses need and get out.
Donald Fehr
Donald Fehr is a weasel. For those of you who don’t follow the baseball circuit, you didn’t know this when he was hired, but you will soon find out. He causes problems. He did in baseball and he will maintain his performance across sports. Bo Jackson, meet your union head equivalent.
To clear up his track record, he presided over an MLB lockout and lost World Series in 1994 which put a hefty portion of people off the sport. This came before a nice segue into the Steroid Era which brought fans back to the game with DINGERS and alienated them at the same time when the fallout came.
If you’re a player you love this guy and it’s pretty clear why. He doesn’t take crap from the league, Bettman or the media. You know he’s going to get you closer to what you demand. And you know he literally doesn’t care what you think about him.
If you’re going to guess how many damns Donald Fehr gives, set the line at one and take the under.
Again though, like Bettman, he is a mouthpiece, nothing more. He is there to butt heads with Gary Bettman because the players pay him to, and regardless of how much of a jerk he appears to be, it’s barely more than a charade. Everybody has a mortgage to pay, and his need to pay the bill requires an unsavouryness that we have and will come to know.
The Owners
The owners are totally insufferable, aren’t they? I mean seriously. You get coaxed into signing these players for a decade plus and hundreds of millions of dollars and then cry poor come negotiation time. You weren’t poor two weeks ago, how are you poor now?
If you want a league with a sustainable economic structure, perhaps you shouldn’t be handing out contracts to the Rick DiPietro’s of the world which put them on various Forbes lists for the world’s wealthiest people despite the fact he doesn’t work very much. Wouldn’t it be nice to have 82 paid sick days a year?
Obviously this is hyperbole, but still. Completely ridiculous.
Again though, this is ultimately what the fans want from their teams. To assemble a winner at all costs, financial or otherwise. What do we care anyways? They’re loaded, they can afford it. Who cares if we’re stuck with Rick DiPietro for another 332 years? Or Alexei Yashin for the rest of his life? I want titles dammit!
Yet, we don’t want this. Nobody wants this. We have created a monster.
Charles Wang, you have set a dangerous precedent that became much much worse once you made Ed Snider think you were on to something.
The Players
I understand that it’s tough for people to see how the players are at fault in this scenario, but it’s really not that tough to understand. You can’t blame these guys for signing outrageous contracts because that’s not how things work. I have a hard time believing any of us wouldn’t take all of the money for several years if we had the offers, but the rhetoric gets tiring.
Just so we’re clear on a couple of things here… players complaining about the way rules are enforced for safety reasons is a joke. You want to stop getting hit in the head or plowed from behind? Don’t hit anyone in the head or plow them from behind. A riveting concept, I know.
Also, this hockey brotherhood business is a little confusing. I know they’re all brothers and such when the camera is rolling, but the on-ice atmosphere is considerably different. It’s very cute seeing guys with a history of run-ins bro-hugging their way through union meetings.
Also, do overseas players count as part of the hockey brotherhood? Because I don’t think it’ll feel that way when NHLers hop overseas to take their jobs during a lockout. I wouldn’t do that to my brother. Well, unless he was a real jerk.
The players here are completely self-interested and self-absorbed, like every other party here, only they have less riding on this than anyone because they will be hired no matter what. The players are just as guilty of jobbing the fans as our previous three nutbar parties and you better not let them off the hook in the court of public opinion.
Conclusions
Everybody in this situation sucks. They are all flat out terrible. Bettman is a fink, Fehr is a rat, the owners are hypocrites who need to be saved from themselves, and the players don’t give a damn because they’re going to get paid no matter what, it’s just a matter of where and whose job they’re taking.
The lockout, forthcoming at that, is not as simple as being Bettman’s fault, Fehr’s fault, the owners’ fault or the players’ fault. Anyone who tells you to zero in on one is lying to you and probably has an agenda. It’s not black and white but it is that simple.
Collective bargaining means collective blame.

Holland will wait and wait and wait until Dats decides to leave, and then he'll hang his hat on Crosby or Stamkos deciding to come here, and when that doesn't happen, he'll say "We're happy with the team we have." The end.

The economics of the current deal favor the players. Of course it would be in their best interest to not strike. It is also in their best interest to tell the press and fans that they would prefer to play the season and continue negotiations. The current party that is happy is not going to strike, and that is a no brainer. I am not saying that the owners haven't been their own worst enemy here. They have self-inflicted the wounds upon themselves by continuing to sign players to 10-12 year deals at $103 million to get around the "cap space" issue. That being said, the system does need to be fixed in some way. I don't know what that way is, but the players by saying that they will continue the season under the current deal isn't a solution to the problem. Maybe shooting each owner would be a better option.
There are going to be a lot of people kissing the ass of the NHLPA over the course of the next month. The fans will be on the bandwagon of the NHLPA. The press is already on their side. Just keep in mind that it is in their best interest to keep the current deal. It is in the owners best interest to get some things fixed. I don't think it is in the best interest of the owners to strike, but something has got to get the NHLPA to the table. Right now, Fehr is touring the US with three weeks to go until camps open. Does that sound like someone who wants to get a deal done to you? When both sides wait until July to start talking, does that sound like a league and a players association that is concerned with starting the season on time?
While I have a lot of respect for Fehr, I do not understand why he is lollygagging around. I don't care if he is winning in the public opinion. I don't care that he made a great proposal. The fact of the matter is that both sides need to come up with an agreement. Just because the owners lock them out doesn't make the owners 100% at fault. Thats just false thinking. In professional sports, a deal has to work for both sides, not just one. The side that locks out the other isn't 100% at fault just because the current deal doesn't favor them.
A deal can be made that favors both sides. I like this guy's take on it.
http://www.sbnation....pa-lockout-2012
This compromise really does favor both sides.

Bettman alone isn't responsible for 3 lockouts. Both sides are responsible. It takes two sides to come up with a deal. What we have here are two sides that are hard headed. They are also made up of complete morons. On the owners side, you have Bettman and his band of morons who's only solution is to slash salaries, contracts, and lowball the union. On the other side, you have a union which really proposed a reduction in salaries, but the figure climbs right back up to where it is now. Also, the union wants to see the salaries of non-player personnel reduced. Which of these solutions work? The answer is neither of them.
Add onto the fact that both the players and the owners just started getting together about a month ago. Hockey was over in June. Hell, why weren't both sides meeting in March? Lack of urgency on both sides as well. The owners tabled the last proposal last week on Wednesday, and they won't meet again until this wednesday? A full week with the leaders of the two sides not sitting down? These guys are total toolbags.
While I like Fehr a lot more then Bettman, I think that both sides have handled this horribly. No sense of urgency, no compromise, and most importantly, no meaningful discussion on the real issues. Even if there were meaningful discussions, nothing came out of them. Both sides have the "its my way or the highway" attitude.
I know that most people are saying that its all the owners fault if there is a lockout, but I am convinced that its both sides fault if there is a lockout. Both sides are equally at fault. No doubt about it if you look at the actions of both sides in the last six months.
Its very difficult for me to hold in my anger on this topic and not spew out a tirade that would get me banned for excessive swearing.

This thread is so full of fail it's ridiculous. How many times does it have to be pointed out that Gary Bettman is a mouthpiece for the owners/BOG and is not working on his own. The owners tell him what they want and what to say, and he goes out and says it. Getting rid of the "dwarf" will not make anything better. You'll just get another mouthpiece for the owners, and the message will stay the same. The owners are going to push for what they want. It doesn't matter who delivers the message.
Maybe because the league is making more money than it ever has, and because revenues are increasing every year? Pay for performance, right?

This thread is so full of fail it's ridiculous. How many times does it have to be pointed out that Gary Bettman is a mouthpiece for the owners/BOG and is not working on his own. The owners tell him what they want and what to say, and he goes out and says it. Getting rid of the "dwarf" will not make anything better. You'll just get another mouthpiece for the owners, and the message will stay the same. The owners are going to push for what they want. It doesn't matter who delivers the message.
Maybe because the league is making more money than it ever has, and because revenues are increasing every year? Pay for performance, right?

This thread is so full of fail it's ridiculous. How many times does it have to be pointed out that Gary Bettman is a mouthpiece for the owners/BOG and is not working on his own. The owners tell him what they want and what to say, and he goes out and says it. Getting rid of the "dwarf" will not make anything better. You'll just get another mouthpiece for the owners, and the message will stay the same. The owners are going to push for what they want. It doesn't matter who delivers the message.
Maybe because the league is making more money than it ever has, and because revenues are increasing every year? Pay for performance, right?

This thread is so full of fail it's ridiculous. How many times does it have to be pointed out that Gary Bettman is a mouthpiece for the owners/BOG and is not working on his own. The owners tell him what they want and what to say, and he goes out and says it. Getting rid of the "dwarf" will not make anything better. You'll just get another mouthpiece for the owners, and the message will stay the same. The owners are going to push for what they want. It doesn't matter who delivers the message.
Maybe because the league is making more money than it ever has, and because revenues are increasing every year? Pay for performance, right?

This whole "Bettman is the problem" thing is really getting out of hand. The guy is a slimeball, but let's give credit where it is due. Bettman is essentially employed by the owners of the teams in the NHL. It's his prerogative to make them happy, or he finds himself unemployed. All things considered, he has done an excellent job satisfying owners. The game has evolved and grown by leaps and bounds under his direction, and the owners overall have made great profits, despite everything the league has had going against it.
Bettman is the voice of the owners is the labor dispute. What they want is what he has to try to sell to the NHLPA and public. Bettman is not the devil whispering evils into the ears of the owners. Its actually the other way around. He's just the front man.
Edit: actually Bettman is in quite a tough pickle now that I think on it. The owners are asking for quite a lot and under the current environment are coming of as unrealistic and greedy. If Bettman can't achieve these extremely lofty and completely one-sided goals (ie owners win, players lose (again)), he may be out of a job. I'm not sure if it would come to that considering the profits that the league has earned in the past decade, but its certainly not an appealing situation to be in.

So, this means Kenny is going after Lebda now?

Nuh UH! It's all Bettman's fault and not the players at all. They should totally make like 90% of the league revenue, and the owners can all live off of the 10% the players decide to leave. I mean, the players play the game, so they should make all the money. The owners are just rich old men that write checks and sit in their owners boxes. What do they contribute to the game? Once the players get 90% of revenues, then the minimum salary can go up to like 3 mil per year, which is only fair, since the players sacrifice so much to get where they are.

Nuh UH! It's all Bettman's fault and not the players at all. They should totally make like 90% of the league revenue, and the owners can all live off of the 10% the players decide to leave. I mean, the players play the game, so they should make all the money. The owners are just rich old men that write checks and sit in their owners boxes. What do they contribute to the game? Once the players get 90% of revenues, then the minimum salary can go up to like 3 mil per year, which is only fair, since the players sacrifice so much to get where they are.

Nuh UH! It's all Bettman's fault and not the players at all. They should totally make like 90% of the league revenue, and the owners can all live off of the 10% the players decide to leave. I mean, the players play the game, so they should make all the money. The owners are just rich old men that write checks and sit in their owners boxes. What do they contribute to the game? Once the players get 90% of revenues, then the minimum salary can go up to like 3 mil per year, which is only fair, since the players sacrifice so much to get where they are.

That's kind of the point. These are honors for the best of the best. Who wants to be part of a HOF that includes scrubs that got in on a technicality. (Well, he did win 300 games, so I guess he should get in.) Where is the honor in that? It's the HOF/Jersey retirement, not a participation ribbon.
Because he's your favorite player doesn't necessarily mean he needs to be in the HOF or have his jersey retired, Lot's of people like Darren McCarty, but noone is advocating for him to get in or get a jersey retired. If the total package is there for enshrinement, then absolutely get them in there. It's one of those situations though where if there is enough sentiment against, or you have to fight really hard to defend the selection, then you're not really dealing with the best of the best. You're dealing with "pretty good."
Or, it could be people just don't see enough there to qualify him for the honor. Do you think Ozzie should have his jersey retired? I mean, he has so many wins and playoff wins, and Cups, right? I know there are people that want this to happen, but it's just not logical. At the end of the day, these honors should be reserved for the Yzermans, Howes, Orrs, Lidstroms, Gretzkys, Richards, Roys. That's a hard club to crack, but it should be.

The baseball hall of fame is terrible. It's full of scrubs that just played long enough to hit the magic cutoff of numbers you're referring to, and has lots of marginal players that got in that way. I don't see why you would want that. I don't think the requirement should be "If I say a name, you remember who that guy is even if he wasn't on your team." It just seems silly.
Look, if they did a ring of honor thing, like the Dallas Cowboys do, I'd absolutely say Feds should be there. I think Feds should make the HHOF with no problem. But jersey retirement is and should be, to quote the VP, a big f-ing deal. Also, I never advocated for Dats and Z to be retired either. Do I think they have the potential? Sure, but they're not locks. If we move into dead things phase 2, absolutely not.

The litmus test is this: is there a litmus test? Then the answer is no. It's the same argument about Ozzie going into the HHOF. Does he have the numbers? More or less. Is he a HHOF goaltender? You have to work really hard to make a case that maybe he should get in.
If you have to make a case for it, then the answer is no. Should Gretzky be in the HHOF? Without a doubt, and I don't think you'd find anyone that says different. Should Yzerman and Lidstrom have their jerseys retired? Again, find anyone that disagrees. Now this thread illustrates perfectly that Feds is not on that same level of an automatic "Yes"
EDIT: Format

Yeah, why should the Wings pay market value for any players. Just the thought of playing at the Joe alone should make all players give Holland a discount to come here.
Those days are over. If you want a marquee player, you're going to have to pay them.

Yeah, why should the Wings pay market value for any players. Just the thought of playing at the Joe alone should make all players give Holland a discount to come here.
Those days are over. If you want a marquee player, you're going to have to pay them.

Yeah, why should the Wings pay market value for any players. Just the thought of playing at the Joe alone should make all players give Holland a discount to come here.
Those days are over. If you want a marquee player, you're going to have to pay them.

You're right. Stupid fans and their opinions. What are they thinking posting an opinion on a message board.
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Holland has a problem, and people are finally getting fed up with it. Yes, it's all about what have you done lately, like in the last 4 seasons. That is the problem with some fans and Holland himself. It's too much "well, you were good 5 years ago, so you're a wing for life, no matter how bad you become," and not enough "what are you doing to help the team win today?"

Holland is playing golf. He's quoted as saying he's happy with the deals he's made, and confident in the team as it stands.

you're*

I don't think it matters at this point. I don't think we will have a very competitive team next year. Missing out on both Parise and Suter hurts too much. To get lesser quality options now, we'll have to weaken out team through trades first. I'm not trying to be dramatic, but I don't think you can underestimate just how much it hurts the Wings to lose out on Suter in particular.

Hang on to the cap space for next year so we can get outbid fo Weber, Iginla, Getzlaf, and Edler by Columbus.

Good riddance. Hope Suter and Parise enjoy wasting away there.