Things Really Heating Up (NHL)

calgARI '07 · February 16, 2005, 01:02:05 PM

It's over.

atb9 · February 16, 2005, 01:11:48 PM

"We will immediately begin planning for a 2005-2006 season"

"We will pursue a collective bargain agreement with the players"

"It wasn't as close as people were speculating"

"An arbitrarily negotiated number (salary cap) put all of the risk on the clubs."

"We couldn't be in the fifties or high forties."

"We were stretching to get there ($42.5 million) because we knew we would lose money for the next two years."

"When they came back with 49, we knew we couldn't make a deal."

"$6.5 million difference multiplied by 30 is actually a $200 million difference."

"It's a difficult process when the other side doesn't know your numbers. We have asked them to audit our books for five years."

Steve M · February 16, 2005, 01:23:18 PM

When they finally get around to reaching an agreement, the fans should boycott the NHL until both Bettman and Goodenow resign or are fired.

KeithK · February 16, 2005, 01:27:54 PM

I'm actually glad that this is over. And not because I'm (much) more of a college fan than a pro-hockey fan. I hate the idea of playing something like a 25 game season and then going to playoffs that may last longer than the season itself. Why mess with a broken product at this point? OK, we've cancelled the season. Now sit down, continue to work at it and get something in place for next season, when we can start fresh.

Of course, the fresh start assumes that bargaining can/will continue once the deadline is removed and that nobody moves the goalposts as a result of the cancellation (Bettman in particular).

I wonder if the cancellation, which guarantees no paychecks for this season, will cause the players union to fracture. I've read reports (opinions maybe) that third and fourth line players are very unsatisfied with the union negotiators. If true then today's events could cause them to speak out. Then again, I heard plenty of speculation along these lines in the last baseball negotiations and nothing came of it (admittedly there were no missed paychecks in MLB '02).

jkahn · February 16, 2005, 01:31:13 PM

Bettman regarding the draft - "Before we play again there will need to be a draft. We haven't focused on that."

mjh89 · February 16, 2005, 01:59:17 PM

Great idea.......no

atb9 · February 16, 2005, 02:01:11 PM

Okay, my hour of mourning is over...LGR!

Pete Godenschwager · February 16, 2005, 02:01:24 PM

Bettman also said the current offer is now off the table (obviously off the table since the season is cancelled but also off the table as a start for future negotiations). He also said he doesn't see a deal without linked revenue.

mjh89 · February 16, 2005, 02:03:54 PM

Yea, the players may have to settle for a worse deal than the one they were offered today.

CUlater 89 · February 16, 2005, 02:18:39 PM

[Q]mjh89 Wrote:

Yea, the players may have to settle for a worse deal than the one they were offered today.[/q]

Or not. How many times during negotiations did the league say "you're not going to get any offers better than this one," yet they were willing to offer something better after all?

Steve M · February 16, 2005, 02:41:35 PM

I'm not the only one who feels this way....

http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/news;_ylc=X3oDMTBpdDcyMnNwBF9TAzk1ODYxODgzBHNlYwN0bQ--?slug=dw_bettman0201605&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

Tub(a) · February 16, 2005, 02:45:02 PM

[Q]Steve M Wrote:

I'm not the only one who feels this way....

[/q]

Uhhh Barry Melrose and Don Cherry don't care about themselves?

Good article, and a pretty fair analysis of both sides.

Good luck to the players ever getting anything close to that deal and good luck to the NHL ever getting fans back.

::yark::

DeltaOne81 · February 16, 2005, 03:33:19 PM

Good article, good points. The only conflict of priorities that Barry would have on any issues if is his hair was somehow brought into the negotiations.

Jordan 04 · February 16, 2005, 03:57:06 PM

[Q]Tub(a) Wrote:

[Q2]Steve M Wrote:

I'm not the only one who feels this way....

[/Q]
Uhhh Barry Melrose and Don Cherry don't care about themselves?

Good article, and a pretty fair analysis of both sides.

Good luck to the players ever getting anything close to that deal and good luck to the NHL ever getting fans back.

[/q]

Barry Melrose only cares about one thing: his mullet.

Trotsky · February 16, 2005, 04:03:31 PM

Hmpf. A Nickerson on both their houses. Let the game go back to Canada, keep the O-6, and fill out the other 30 franchises from places like Kelowna and Lethbridge. Hell, give Ithaca a franchise.