125 replies to this topic

[chances14]

Yet, millions of people are paying a good amount of money to see them play, watch them, buy jerseys and other merchandise stuff.

Yup. I don't really care that they are overpaid but I do get annoyed when people try to justify entertainers/pro athletes getting paid millions of dollars. There is none

[chances14]

Did anyone Catch this in the interview?

ISN: Last thing Jimmy, any thoughts on players moving on and playing for the KHL or other European Leagues during the lockout?

"The players are doing what they have to do, but it's funny, you talk about solidarity and a handful have already bolted. You know who they are...like they need the money...yeah right! But I would caution them to be very careful not to get hurt because as of two days ago, we pulled all their league insurance (dental, medical, player) and all the benefits for each player, so if they get hurt, the NHL will not pay them one dime until they are cleared by league doctors and to the owner's satisfaction that the player is 100% fit and able to perform."

He seems to be throwing his own players under the bus including the best player on the team in Datsyuk


Maybe jimmy d was in a really bad mood the day he gave this interview. This just seems so unredwing like

[cusimano_brothers]

I guess he didn't get the "reminder memo" regarding Article 17.17.

[sibiriak]

the NHL will not pay them one dime until they are cleared by league doctors and to the owner's satisfaction that the player is 100% fit and able to perform

With all due respect Mr.D, I think the players only need to be 76% fit, because you are going to pay them only 76% of what you agreed and promised to.

[frankgrimes]

With all due respect Mr.D, I think the players only need to be 76% fit, because you are going to pay them only 76% of what you agreed and promised to.

Owners are going to pay what they've agreed to, there won't be a 24 % rollback.

Jim D can go jump of a bridge too after this ridiculous interview way to throw your best player under the bust, hope he gets fired soon.

[cusimano_brothers]

I didn't know he had a job with the Tigers.

[Seraph]

Hmm... Datsyuk doesn't seem like the hard-nosed negotiator type to get involved in the politics of the game. Seems to be more interested in stuff like this:


Haha, let the kid go home and play.

[Hey man nice shot!]

Tired of the b.s lets just get the show on the road.

[Buppy]

The percentages have no meaning unless we know what all the clubs expenses are. Without this information now can anybody say what is a good deal or bad deal for either side.
And maybe 50% for doctors is fair. I have no clue.
...

We do know what the expenses are. For the first 6 years of the last CBA, average league-wide a little under $1.1B. Increasing by an average of around $58M/5.3% per year, though the increases have been lower in the last few years than the first few. They've averaged about 40% of gross revenue, but they're growing slower than revenue, so the percentages have been decreasing (39% in 10-11, the most recent year we have data for).

Overall, the league showed a little over 4% profit for the 10-11 season, which is not a bad margin. Under the player's proposal, if the league continues decent growth (5% or more), the margin would increase to the 6-12% range. The high end of that is very good (and the disparity between revenue and "Hockey Related Revenue" could add a couple points to those margins). For comparison, MLB had about 6.8%, NBA about 4.5%, NFL about 15% (all the more strange that they were able to keep the player's share so low...) per the most recent data available.

According to every bit of data available to us, what the players are proposing is a fair split. The onus should be completely on the owners to make that split work for each franchise, either through revenue sharing, widening the payroll range, relocating, or folding some franchises. If it came to folding some teams, then go to the players and see if they want to make further concessions to preserve some jobs.

The only thing that might be missing from the player's offer (financially, not considering any contract limits, etc) is some form of stop-loss in the event that revenues decrease or increase by less than the needed amount.

For reference, http://money.cnn.com...stries/profits/. Old, but the most recent data I could find showing profit as % of revenue.

[sibiriak]

Owners are going to pay what they've agreed to, there won't be a 24 % rollback.

How exactly can the players' share go from 57% to 43%, of basically the same revenue amount, without rollback? Call it escrow or whatever, it is mathematically impossible to achieve what the league insists on, without reducing existing salaries.

[GoWings1905]

Another mouthpiece for the league and Bettman -- just what nobody wants to hear anymore. Jimmy D's extreme defense of Bettman in that interview was pathetic. Three lockouts under his watch speaks for itself. He's a piss poor leader of the NHL in every sense except in the eyes of the 30 billionaires whining about the system they created with Betttman's help.

[PROBIE4PREZ]

It makes me sick b/c of what some elite players COULD make in a open market instead of taking 'hometown' discounts. I'm sure the Wild would have thrown 14 mill @ OV or Crosby if he was available and willing to sign purely for money. Its thef****** owners fault for letting GM's throw outrageous loot at players and it's even more adsorb how much the salary cap has increased to the point where they want to roll back contracts. Give me a break. I don't see how both sides didn't see this blowing up in their faces when they signed the old CBA.

[RedWingsDad]

http://sports.yahoo....42055--nhl.html

Thanks. Not exactly an unbias article, but it works. The point is, the attack on the Wild GM as stated was grossly oversimplifying the matter. He is operating within what he deems a broken system. I am not saying signing Parise or Suter was a smart financial decision for the Wild... just that he is allowed to complain about the current system, while still trying to be competitive within that system.

[frankgrimes]

Fehr already said rollbacks are *not* an option. Whenever the NHL sense is coming back to earth. Players are willing to give so has to be the NHL.

This is really different this time the system isn't broken see record revenues and tough luck if the owners can't control themselves.

Jim D gave an atrocious interview here, hope he got a serios phonecall from Ken after it this was the most unreadwinglike stuff I have read since a decade.

Sent from my BlackBerry

[13dangledangle]

"The players are doing what they have to do, but it's funny, you talk about solidarity and a handful have already bolted. You know who they are...like they need the money...yeah right! But I would caution them to be very careful not to get hurt because as of two days ago, we pulled all their league insurance (dental, medical, player) and all the benefits for each player, so if they get hurt, the NHL will not pay them one dime until they are cleared by league doctors and to the owner's satisfaction that the player is 100% fit and able to perform."

That for some reason pisses me off hardcore, just the fact he breaks in down to dimes...It's a f@Uk of a lot more then dimes.

[cusimano_brothers]

He's not promoting another book? Interesting.

[barabbas16]

Thanks. Not exactly an unbias article, but it works. The point is, the attack on the Wild GM as stated was grossly oversimplifying the matter. He is operating within what he deems a broken system. I am not saying signing Parise or Suter was a smart financial decision for the Wild... just that he is allowed to complain about the current system, while still trying to be competitive within that system.

Obviously, he has proven that he CAN do that..... but he CAN'T do that without sounding like a hypocrite.

Why can't you just accept that some people don't see things exactly the way you do? You think they're wrong, clearly. But that doesn't mean that they ARE wrong. Maybe to that person or to the 8 other people you've had similar posts responding to, it IS that simple. Maybe that's what's really the main point above all points to them and the rest doesn't really matter in comparison. Each and every player that was signed was told under no unceratin terms that the owners would pay them (the player) X amount of dollars per season for Y number of years. And now, assuming that they are trying to rollback salaries, it seems to me that they're saying "Psyche! We're not REALLY going to pay you what WE said that we would! Joke's on you clowns!"...which makes them liars.

Now, generally, I stand on the owner's side of the fence. It's their league and their teams. No one is forced to play hockey for them. The players have every right to go play hockey somewhere else. Or, to go NOT play hockey somewhere else. It's their league and it should be their rules. And I am with the owners on every other concern.... and if they find a way to get everything they want WITHOUT altering current contracts (i.e. without going back on their word), great! - I am all about it.

However, if they are trying to 'rollback' salaries, then I think they are damned liars and I don't stand with them. The rest doesn't matter to me. It is exactly that simple, whether you think it is overly simple or not.

You sound like those people that say a person can't or it is foolish to vote solely based on one issue. Yes you can and no it isn't if that issue outweighs everything else for that person. And that person's vote counts just as much as yours. Just like this, my opinion counts just as much as yours (which, of course, is.... not at all).

[55fan]

Wow. I wonder what the "undisclosed amount" he got fined was.

The rebel in me approves.

[uk_redwing]

Glad he got the fined the condescending little f*cker.

[BottleOfSmoke]

@DarrenDreger: Sounds like the Red Wings fine for Jimmy D's comments is in the neighborhood of $250,000. Ouch.