Barrie

Saying the NHL can go fornicate with itself is putting it mildly.  I'm sick of the league, I'm sick of the people running the league, I'm sick of the people running the Players' Association.....sick of them all.  Fire them all, hire new people, start from scratch.  Or in more direct terms, scorch the earth and then salt it.

Right, and you know there will be another Lockout in 6 years anyway, so what's the point in trying to throw a CBA together? With this current bunch of morons, nothing get's fixed. 50/50 isn't going to fix anything. The Owners need to share revenues better, instead of letting teams like the Leafs sit on massive profits while Phoenix rots, and the city of Glendale pays Millions and Millions to keep the team.

The current system is insane!

Bettman sucks!

I already puked.

I won't be investing in the NHL when it comes back.  The limit of my investment in the NHL will be my cable bill and watching them on TV.  No Center Ice, no tickets, no merchandise, and so on.  Yup, I am done with these greedy screwballs.

Yeah I'm done spending money on the NHL too. The last of my favorite Red Wings, Holmstrom, has retired, so I can spend money and time elsewhere... Bettman has pissed me off so much, that I don't want to financially support the league anymore, and I'm not just saying that. Each year since the 05-06 lockout I've slowly lost interest, and this is the last straw. Despite the reports of record revenues, I think the league has turned into a big joke (bankrupt franchises, head shots, concussions, lack of proper suspensions, an 8th seed winning the Cup). I've almost been looking for a reason to not watch anymore, and this lockout is the reason... Add to that, as a fan of a big market team, I despise the Hard Cap and Floor, and I don't think what they've been talking about in a new deal will address what's actually wrong. Unless they have a Luxury Tax and proper Revenue Sharing there will be another lockout in 6 years.

But, I continue to post my opinions because owners and players read forums, twitter, and facebook, so I want them to read what I think.

I really think they have to get rid of the Floor, bring in a Luxury Tax, and have proper Revenue Sharing, or we'll have another Lockout in 6 years. Baseball has it right. Let your best markets spend and share revenue, or else they have to just sit on their profits, while teams like Phoenix, Nashville, Florida, and Columbus drag everyone down with them. Big markets should be leading the way, not the bankrupt ones.

The players aren't to blame for these bankrupt teams, it's Bettman's inability to split the pot better, and allow the small markets to spend what they bring in and collect in Revenue Sharing, instead of spending based on what the Maple Leafs bring in.

This is all just patch work, which will lead to more problems in 6 years. Since Bettman doesn't seem to get it, I guess 10 teams need to go under, and cease to exist, before proper changes are made.

One thing Fehr said really stood out to me, about how Bettman and Daley only take 10-15 minutes to shoot stuff down, and don't even talk to the other owners.

Obviously Bettman isn't speaking for all the owners, has put himself in a position (only needing 8 owners backing him) where he can do whatever he wants, and can't lose his job.

There's NO DOUBT Bettman's the problem!

I saw Bettman's presser, he didn't look good. I think he knows he met his match, or worse.

Fehr's been brought in for a reason. The players are getting sick of being pushed around!

Don Cherry would like it if the Russians stayed home, more jobs for his, "Good Canadian Boys".

As mentioned, I think the players are just saying this to help bargain against Bettman and the 7 owners that back him.

In the future I'm going to refrain from bunching the owners together. From the sounds of it, this lockout is only Bettman, Phoenix, and 7 other teams... Take 'em down Fehr, NHLPA, and 22 owners! Let's get our game back!

Sounds to me Z needs to just stop talking. He is talking more than Mean ol Bettman. Stirring the pot it seems all the time.

Z can say whatever he wants, that little runt is going to take away two years and 150 points to his career totals!

As I said yesterday, I think Fehr's been brought in by the PA and 22 owners to take Bettman out... That little turd has gotten to powerful!

I don't care how long this lockout lasts, I want Bettman gone!!

Lest we also forget, all 30 owners voted in favor of a lockout...

With the amount of money 1/3 of the teams are losing, there's no way all 30 owners wanted a lockout!

I'm really starting to think that Bettman is in way over his head. I think the PA brought Fehr in to take Bettman out and save hockey from this dictator. Fehr has taken on MLB many times and won every time. Bettman and the NHL are small compared to MLB, so Fehr can win this without breaking to much of a sweat or losing to much sleep.

The owners have allowed Bettman's to get to powerful, and his self inflated ego is way to big to think straight. Along with being at a disadvantage against Fehr, Bettman is also facing this:

1) Most fans and media are on the side of the players, the longer this goes, the more pressure the owners face.

2) NBC signed a 10 year deal to show games on TV. NBC will pressure Bettman to get a deal done, or they'll do what ESPN didn't and not cover them anyone.

3) The outdoor game and HBO 24/7 is Wings-Leafs. If there's no outdoor game, that's a huge amount of revenue the League will miss out on.

4) 1/3 of the teams are bankrupt. I wouldn't be surprised the longer this goes, teams like Phoenix and Florida may not exists anymore. The owners of those teams may say, "forget it, I don't want to lose anymore money, I'm out"

I'd seriously be surprised if Bettman keeps his job after this lockout. I'd put money on it that this will be his undoing. Seriously how can he ever present the Cup again without his life being threatened? I know I'd be throwing stuff at him.

Nash and Thornton are going to absolutely rip this league a new one again.

Just wait until playoffs, Thornton will suck.

“I hate to sound like a broken record, but we need some movement on the economic issues. We need some movement on the system issues,” NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said. “We need them to be scheduled as the subject of a meeting, and right now the union is not prepared to do that.”

Of course they aren't prepared to do that in January, they're in the middle of the season! They're playing games! Typical Bettman and Daly, trying to pass the blame to the players even more. Nothing's ever their fault, it's always someone else.

I dont think the players are bluffing this time around and Buttmen wont budge either. The Owners want money and until checkbooks are hit hard I dont see either side giving up an inch. I think we will see a long lockout, mabye 2 seasons. Players can go to Europe and make money so the pressing need of ending the lockout will only hurt 3-4 liners, prospects, and us as fans. (aside from economics)

Yea I'm expecting at least the entire season being wiped out.

This, this, this.

"Uncle Gary" lives for two things: cultivating patronage in hard-sell markets (e.g. Glendale), and lockouts. You know what lockouts are super-good for? Losing patronage in hard-sell markets.

Speaking of Glendale, I'm sure the Cardinals starting 3-0 isn't helping out the Coyotes fan base.

I have no interest in watching replacement players.

I think you can tell from my posts I support the players. I always support the players, because I don't go to games to watch the owners, plus all the owners care about is profits.

While I understand Fehr's point of view here, about players losing rights and what not, I do not understand why they are not meeting and trying to come to an agreement somewhere in the middle. We have been locked out going on 5 days and no meetings have taken place, and no meetings are scheduled. It appears both sides have the same approach, do nothing till the other side caves.

Probably it's because Bettman is so arrogant and stubborn that's he's not worth trying to talk sense to. I heard someone on TSN radio say that a deal would probably get done if Bettman was told to leave the room.

Edit: Fehr has said he's not trying to get rid of the cap, he just wants to see the Owners revenue share and find better ways to generate revenue.