RedWingsDad

Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio?  Our nation turns its lonely eyes to you.  Woo woo woo.

Actually, mine are mostly dead or retired, except for Jeff Chadwick who is living in California and coaching receivers/tight ends.

 

The person below me liked Alf.

 

I was mostly indifferent to Alf, but laughed when I learned that the last episode of Alf ended with the assumption that he was taken by the Federal government to be poked with needles, frozen, etc. and generally be made a lab subject.

 

The person below me speeds up and cuts in front of people when a lane is ending (but would never admit to it), and is therefore my mortal enemy.

Doug MacLean doesn't have to worry about his "pension"; he's busy shilling for Mercedes-Benz Burlington and checking his cellphone for his next real job opportunity in hockey.

 

Doug MacLean's personal financial situation and career opportunities do not invalidate his opinion...which seemed to be the premise of your statement.

 

 

At any rate, I took a risk and wore my Bertuzzi jersey to work today... hoping for some magic to happen with the lockout talks.

I agree. The best way to speak is with your wallet. The NHL makes a ton of money off gate receipts. Just don't go to games. That will be a pretty big blow to the NHL. The problem is that many people aren't dumping their season tickets over this. So the NHL and NHLPA have zero incentive to do anything for the fans.

 

I still cannot wrap my head around this mentality. I am a hockey fan... I find enjoyment in watching it. I have missed a lot of hockey this season... to what end would I deprive myself of even more enjoyment by boycotting the NHL? On the slim chance that it will have long term effects on the minds of the NHL and NHLPA so that perhaps, perhaps, in 8-10 years when the new CBA expires, they will act more quickly?

 

There is no tangible benefit of cancelling season tickets or boycotting the NHL to a die-hard hockey fan - not when measured against the enjoyment you would be depriving yourself of. It may make you feel good emotionally, make you feel like you are teaching a lesson to some entity that you blame for the lockout... but again, is that worth the cost of missing out on your favorite sport?  I don't care for baseball, football, or basketball. I'm assuming that all of the individuals calling for boycotts are perfectly satisfied substituting hockey for other sports. I am not.

I wonder when we will know the NHLPA's response. I think the owners made a very reasonable offer here, we will see if the NHLPA responds in like fashion or decides on more posturing instead.

Uncle Gary + (Lockout x3) = Legacy.

Sometimes, the obvious is always overlooked by those who steadfastly refuse to look at it...over and over and over and...

Talk about the pot calling the kettle black. I do not have a love fest with Bettman, don't get me wrong... but I have enough sense to acknowledge the very simple fact that Bettman is accountable to the board of governors. Do you acknowledge this?

And to that end they...lock the players out, kill league operations, kick off "negotiations" with one of the oldest underhanded negotiating tricks in the book, single-mindedly endeavor to destroy Donald Fehr, etc. And all of this is costing them how much $$$ every day? And it's driving away how many fans, how many potential patrons? And it's wrecking how many oh-so-lowly livelihoods (e.g. vendors)? And it's doing how much damage to the NHL (hot on the heels of last season's record revenue)?

Just saying.

I guess the collective owners, a group of (mostly) successful business people, feels it's better for their long term NHL related revenues to miss out on current revenues in order to secure more favourable terms in the CBA. If they are right, it is better for the players as well. A folded team hires no players, vendors, staff etc. A team bleeding money generally has less to spend on player contracts, staff, and attracts less vendors. On the other hand, a team making money can afford to pay players more, attracts vendors, and generally employ more people.

In this light, perhaps you should support the owners... that is, if your goal is for players to get more money, and concern for the vendors is sincere.

Hockey fans, take a stand, or else Bettman will continue to treat you like crap.

Hockey fans, take a stand, or else both sides will continue to treat you like crap.

fixed it for you

The players treat us like crap?

Yes, I think you grasped what he was trying to say. In the context that the original quote was saying the owners treat us like crap for not giving in to the NHLPA, I believe he was asserting that if one were to actually hold that kind of position, then logically the same must also be leveled against the players (read: NHLPA)... who likewise are not giving into the owners, and therefore are also causing the fans to miss out on NHL hockey. Is that the confirmation you were looking for with your question?  Let me know if I can be of further assistance.

The removal of Bettman from the sport of hockey is far more imperative than ending the NHL lockout. Even not considering the lockouts, he is the worst thing to ever happen to the sport of hockey. When he finally unlocks the doors, it will be up to us. Boycott spending money on the NHL until they have no choice but to fire him.

I think I have a solution to the problem of Bettman's dictatorial powers... we should make him accountable to another larger group of people. He has too much power and needs to be held accountable. The group of people he is accountable to could be, oh I don't know... 30 people... kind of like one representative for each team in the league, what do you think?
.........
.........
.........

......... oh wait.

Chuck Norris should be called in as a mediator.

Until Bettman took over they have never lost a game due to labor dispute and thew relationship between players and owners was never any more dysfuncyional than any other sports league.
Since he took over the NHL has lost more games due to labor disputes than all other major sports league combined even before Fehr ever entered the picture.

Word to the wise, Bettman is an employee of the collective owners. He does not make unilateral decisions. It seems to be a secret around here, so don't tell anyone it was me who told you.... kthx

In my fantasy, the tickets are free, Mike Babcock picks me up in a limo, I sit on the bench for the game, retired players or those on IR serve me free cocktails and munchies and then I go party with the team afterwards.  THEN I'd go.

You have exceedingly high standards... I’d go just for dollar hot dog night.

I always loved how Holmstrom had the spring effect when getting cross checked... undoubtedly helped save his back somewhat and prolong his career. Instead of trying to stand firm against the cross check he would just roll with it and spring back into place... probably pissed off the aggressor even more. lol

What a champ... I still fume a bit when I think about how rule changes really blunted his game the last 3-4 years... specifically the non-sense goalie interference calls made when the goalie initiated contact outside of the crease.... grrrrrrrr

The wings should make a one time Holmstrom award and have a whole game dedicated to it. The award would be for all the goals he deserved that got called off... they could play a montage of examples on the big screen and for the TV audience.... and just for the sake of fun they should jokingly display his actual goals next to an estimation of deserved goals.    I dream.

I speculate that both the NHL and NHLPA had terms in mind right from the start that they would be willing to settle on, if forced. It would seem that the 50/50 revenue split was one area that both sides could settle for.... I wonder where that settle point is for the rest of the topics.

It would seem at this point that the NHLPA's mindset from the start was "If we concede the 50/50 revenue split, we will NOT move much at all on contract right's issues.".

Just mindless speculation because I’m bored...

Well, Sherlock Holmes mostly used abductive reasoning.  That might be your problem.

If anything, the articles from the Times and the Post quoted one page back make it sound like the NHL are the ones who won't concede on contract issues.   I'm hoping they're not true.  

If both sides get to 50/50 and can agree on make whole, the NHL needs to give up most of their ridiculous contract demands except for the one eliminating cap circumvention.

I don't have a "problem", thanks. Back off.

Nyquist is small

Dar, I like applesauce.

I'd be ok with losing the season. Prospects get another year of development and we get to pass up a season of probable awfulness.

I want to watch hockey... it's the only sport I watch besides professional paper, rock, scissors.