905 replies to this topic

[frankgrimes]

The league is as healthy as it has ever been. Revenue is up. Ratings are up. What they can possibly find to squabble over is beyond me.

No one is willing to risk another lockout. This time it would absolutely KILL the league. Negotiations will go relatively smoothly, no lockout.

Never underestimate the greed from some of the billionaires it is very sad. Another lockout would be a killer but I am prepared for every outcome. Will watch AHL, SEL, SWISS league and KHL if it really comes to another one.

[ami]

Any time someone uses the term "learning curve" in describing your level of knowledge, they're not giving you a compliment...

This guy Donald Fehr knows exactly what he wants though, he's well past that learning curve:

- money: "A salary of $3 million per year to run through completion of collective bargaining after the current CBA expires following the 2011-12 season."
- money: "A salary of $1.5 million for the remainder of this year."
- money for his little brother: "Approval to hire his brother, Steve, who is currently special counsel to the MLBPA (after 23 years as outside counsel), to an executive position."
- end even more money in the future: "Permission to co-author a book about baseball with Steve.", "Permission to open a consulting firm, though with the express stipulation that his first priority at all times will be the NHLPA."

i have to admit among his demands were a few hockey/players related.

that's all so typical for union leaders.

source: http://sportsillustr...Fehr/index.html

Never underestimate the greed from some of the billionaires union leaders it is very sad. Another lockout would be a killer but I am prepared for every outcome. Will watch AHL, SEL, SWISS league and KHL if it really comes to another one.

fixed it for you.

Edited by ami, 18 May 2012 - 11:48 AM.

[Richdg]

Yes there is risk here, but if some forward thinking types get involved, there could be some huge upsides. For example, how about a super league? the original 6 in NA and 6 in Europe all in the same league? think about it, how big would that be. The first truely international professional league.

yes the long contracts will come to an end. There are several and all are bad. Go look at franzen or Dipatro (spelling). IIRC Franzen-33 has 8 years left on his contract. bad bad deal.
last thought. bettmen was hired by the owners. they like him. he isn't going anywhere anytime soon.

[55fan]

O6 and Euro6? Um...you think the travel is bad now. Try that commute.

I'll pass.

[cusimano_brothers]

"This is our territory and I will fight like hell to not allow anybody to come from abroad. I think in Europe we are strong enough to do something on our own. Try to come. Good luck."

[Richdg]

O6 and Euro6? Um...you think the travel is bad now. Try that commute.

I'll pass.

Some version of that will happen. Just a matter of when. Going to Europe isn't that bad. yes they trips will be 2 weeks long, but still it will work. BTW the Super series in Rugby has worse travel. they go for 3-4 weeks at a time. back to the point, you also do it unbalanced. Play the team on your continent say 45-50 times, then go overseas for 2 trips for another 12 games, then have them come to you home. So really only 2 long trips per team.

Edited by Richdg, 18 May 2012 - 12:49 PM.

[cusimano_brothers]

There will League expansion before Uncle Gary tries to take over Europe.

[cusimano_brothers]

From Sportsnet:

National Hockey League players are not prepared to give any more to save team owners from themselves.

That's how Steve Fehr, the NHL Players' Association special counsel, described the players' mindset as negotiations toward a new Collective Bargaining Agreement loom.

Players currently receive 57 per cent of hockey related revenue. Fehr, brother to NHLPA executive director Donald Fehr, told the Sports Business Journal this week:

"I think it is fair to say that if the approach is what many are predicting: That the owners come in and say we have to shave five, 10, 15, 25, 30 -- pick a number -- points off the percentage of revenues in the cap that players receive, there will be some players who say, there may be a lot of players who say, 'Wait a minute ... We already gave at the office. We made massive concessions last time that were designed to fix your so-called problems. If it has not fixed your so-called problems, we need to have a long, hard discussion about what those problems are and what we should do about it.'"
...

I see nothing wrong with paying your union representatives a fair salary+; sometimes, you have to pay something to get something back and that "something back" is a lot more than the rep's salaries.

[cusimano_brothers]

Toronto Star.

[F.Michael]

I'm still a firm believer of my earlier predictions from a post in a similar thread; 60/40 in favor of a lock-out.

[irishock]

Condensed season would benefit the Wings a whole lot.


Entire season gone would not.

[cusimano_brothers]

The Score.

[Hatethedrake!]

I don't see the point of another lock-out. Even if Bettman and the league were to get their way, they would just screw it up again after the last one ended. With Fehr now running the show, the NHLPA will be more confrontational than before and not much negotiating will be done until 2 months into the lockout. It's just a waste of time really.

[55fan]

I hate this whole thing. We're all in the same sport. Can't we all work together for the good of the sport instead of bickering?

Spend the time growing the sport and making more millions to share rather than bickering over how to share the millions you have.

[Hatethedrake!]

I hate this whole thing. We're all in the same sport. Can't we all work together for the good of the sport instead of bickering?

Spend the time growing the sport and making more millions to share rather than bickering over how to share the millions you have.

The NHL has always been its own worst enemy. The league and the players have been bickering for decades. Look how the NHLPA formed to begin with. Ted Lindsay started the whole thing and he was banised to Chicago (the worst team in the league at the time) by Jack Adams as punishment. When Alan Eagleson ran the NHLPA he basically did what the league wanted him to do. He purposely kept player salaries down by not having them disclosed. Bob Goodenow wanted confrontation just for the sake of it. Bettman always wants his way or nothing. The NHLPA can't even get along with themselves half the time. The league got a hard 39 mil Cap and just 6 years later it may end up being at 70. They lost a season for that? The NHL and NHLPA are run by a bunch of dummies who could care less about what the RIGHT thing to do is. Both sides have been spoiled by all the money they have made and only see things through their biased politically fueled rose coloured glasses. Who suffers? We do. The fans. But they could give a rats ass about that. They will not say it but they think it...we will always be there when hockey returns.

[cusimano_brothers]

TSN.

[brett]

lids goes, the league follows

[ogreslayer]

Parity exists in standings but not with club profits according to Forbes:

http://www.forbes.co...could-kill-nhl/

[haroldsnepsts]

TSN.

It kills me the glacial pace with which these negotiations proceed. You'd think they were communicating by pony express.

"I understand the union is now prepared to begin talks and we are in the process of trying to set up dates,"

Bettman said he expects "in the next few weeks" they will begin to "set the table of what we each might want to be talking about."

In the next few weeks they'll begin to set the table of what they might talk about??? what the hell?


Everybody pull out your iphones and set some dates, put the agenda on google docs and let's get this s*** going!

[cusimano_brothers]

"I understand the union is now prepared to begin talks and we are in the process of trying to set up dates,"
...

Since when is Uncle Gary acting as a "mouthpiece" for the NHLPA? Someone is getting anxious.