Comments on: NHL exec Bill Daly discusses lockout, fan support and NHLPA

By: tealwithit

tealwithit — Fri, 07 Sep 2012 09:43:09 +0000

First of all, I don’t think I’d even consider myself to be one of those in the “1 out of 1000″ group.
I’m sorry if my comment sounded like an insult, but I’m not trying to offend anyone… I just don’t think that many people have the time or patience or desire to do any extensive research on this stuff. And I can’t say I blame them. Hockey is fun; business is not. Plus I’m not only referring to the diehard hockey fans, but also the more casual ones. Out of all the fans that fill NHL arenas during a season, how many do you think are actually getting on the internet regularly and seeking out every available piece of information? Most people have jobs, and lives, and don’t want to hear millionaires complaining about money and ruining the fun of the sport for them.
I’ve spent an embarrassing number of hours reading up on this stuff, and I still don’t feel like I truly have a grasp on what’s going on. There are thousands upon thousands of pages of information being passed back and forth between the NHL and NHLPA. Even with a business degree, it would be difficult to fully comprehend all the details of this beast.

By: tatdue

tatdue — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 23:42:17 +0000

Wow you liked your own comment so much that you gave it a thumbs up yourself eh…Well either that or lostpuppysyndrome did, not realizing that you just insulted him/her as much as everyone else…lol…You, “tealwithit” are a tool.

By: tatdue

tatdue — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 23:31:12 +0000

@lostpuppysyndrome – You say that you’re not trying to be a D#$k about it but only D#$ks argue over semantics…..

By: tealwithit

tealwithit — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 21:43:12 +0000

I wish there were some way to find out how many of those fans are really educated in all the issues involved. If I had to guess, I’d say maybe 1 out of 1000 fans have business knowledge and have taken the time to find out all available facts and figures. And that’s a very generous estimation.

By: tealwithit

tealwithit — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 21:28:34 +0000

That may be the most sensible thing I’ve ever read in one of these comment threads.
The owners are the ones putting their money on the line in order to own and operate these teams. In doing so, they of course take on some responsibility to the fans – it’s always important to ensure customer loyalty by making sure they’re happy with your product and policies – but they don’t “owe” us anything, especially if it’s to the detriment of the business. Fans (of all pro sports leagues) have a wild sense of entitlement. You rarely hear anyone praising the ownership or Bettman when times are good, and yet everyone’s so quick to blame and criticize them when problems come up. But that’s the nature of sports… Emotion over reason.

By: lostpuppysyndrome

lostpuppysyndrome — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 18:58:34 +0000

I totally agree with your points. My only qualm is that I don’t think that we should somehow feel “owed” or entitled to anything. I do think it’s in the owners’ best interest to pay attention to their fans but the NHL is a luxury, not some God-given right. Otherwise, I agree with a lot of what other fans are saying.

By: lostpuppysyndrome

lostpuppysyndrome — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 18:55:47 +0000

I also want to stress that I’m not trying to be a d*** about this but I just want to clarify my point.

By: lostpuppysyndrome

lostpuppysyndrome — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 18:55:13 +0000

Right, without the fans, there is no money and no NHL. However, by saying the owners owe us, you’re also saying we deserve to have the NHL, that the owners are indebted to us fans, or that it’s some sort of right that we have to watch the game and they’re withholding it from us. They only owe us if we’ve paid for something and not received the product. Did you pay for a jersey? Great, you got what you paid for. Did you pay for season tickets last year? Great, you got the tickets to the games. Have you paid the owners for tickets already but you might not get to go to the games? Either no, you haven’t, or you’ll be reimbursed for those missed games. If the owners come up with a deal because they want to satisfy the fans, it’s either because A) it’s a business and they need to make money and/or B) out of gratitude and appreciation for their fans, not because they owe us anything. Do I think it’s good form to appreciate the fans for their business? Absolutely. Do I want to see the game on as soon as possible? Definitely. Do I think the fans should feel some sense of entitlement to this game? No. If the owners cared about the fans, they’d listen to our opinions, thoughts and idea, but they do not owe us anything.

By: tealwithit

tealwithit — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 17:40:05 +0000

I think I’d be able to live with it if salaries had grown by 71% over the course of those eight years.

By: tatdue

tatdue — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 17:37:39 +0000

I don’t know about anyone else but I have absolutely no idea what you are even talking about?

By: tatdue

tatdue — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 17:34:02 +0000

@freneticgarfieldfan – “Dito for the players” – Why would you say that when the players are asking for zero more dollars….All they want is to be treated fairly. They want the owners to honor the contracts that they agreed on and signed. How would you feel if your boss asked you for a 24% reduction in your wage twice in 8 years?

By: paledevil

paledevil — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 17:30:42 +0000

‘Having it be about four year revenues is the wrong angle” correction

By: paledevil

paledevil — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 17:28:52 +0000

I have no worry about the owners preseason games since of course they will have to be played to determine roster. I do worry about after the deal is struck i see a complete bottom out of NHL merchandise… Better contract the rights out because the is some bitterness and contempt.. Not sure if concessions will take a hit..
I do worry about this firm resolve of the players(steel) .. Not sure for what … If it was 4 a comprehensive 10 year contract than yea fully support Having it be about future revenues is the wrong angle . Bottom line no fan can support not playing because of making 8.5 mil instead of 10 mil.
The agents are the sway factor now…. Did they proceed in good faith? Or were those contracts signed thinking rollback.. If the agent goes high thinking ok in case of rollback The player is almost as culpable as I would think the agents keep their clients well informed.

By: jaredphi

jaredphi — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 17:22:14 +0000

I disagree with that first sentence pretty strenuously. The owners owe the fans EVERYTHING.

Without us, there is no NHL….and there is no revenue for the owners OR the players.

We pay the paychecks of the owners and the players.

By: jaredphi

jaredphi — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 17:20:38 +0000

“We hope to do that with the support of our fan base.”

^Yeah, well guess what? You DON’T have our support.

Every poll I’ve seen puts 9 out of every 10 NHL fans as siding with the players, NOT the owners.

By: wallio

wallio — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 16:29:43 +0000

“Fan support is important to us, but hey if we p**s off our fanbase we can point to lower attendence as a reason for a 4th lockout in 2017.”

Fixed that for ya Bill……

By: norseman81

norseman81 — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 16:11:06 +0000

lostpuppysyndrome

I agree but, at the same time we know that the NHL has a lot of momentum right now. For the first time in my Adult life it actually has had a pulse. So, to see any lengthy work stoppage will only discourage that casual fan that may have been interested before from staying interested. We know that people are fickle so, once the playoffs come around they might come back. However, if the league wants to continue this positive trend, they would be best served by working out their differences and doing what is best for the game.

By: lostpuppysyndrome

lostpuppysyndrome — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 15:52:09 +0000

When it comes down to it, the owners don’t owe fans anything. We want hockey but we aren’t the ones losing money, and these owners didn’t make their money by pouring it into bad investments. Hockey’s the greatest game in the world, but the emphasis should be on “game.” I’m sure they could have gotten a deal done right from the get-go to the rave reviews of fans everywhere but it could cause damage to the league as a whole later on down the road. I hope they get a deal done soon like every other fan out there but it’s not the end of the world if the season starts late or never starts at all.

By: norseman81

norseman81 — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 15:33:04 +0000

Funny, doesn’t fan support and a healthy league going forward go hand in hand with the money they want to make? Walking a thin line owners.

By: freneticgarfieldfan

freneticgarfieldfan — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 15:32:36 +0000

Exactly. Dito for the players.

By: tpa43

tpa43 — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 15:11:39 +0000

Is this the end of the NHL over money? I got news for you. Nobody makes
Money when it’s gone.

By: sjsharks66

sjsharks66 — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 15:08:02 +0000

Fan perception is important to us, but we love money waaaaay more.