Comments on: Fehr says players have been “saving for a couple years” in case there’s a lockout

By: kitshky

kitshky — Tue, 11 Sep 2012 19:08:04 +0000

This talk about making 50K a year and therefore NHL players should just simply take whatever is handed them is ridiculous …and frankly quite immature.

We’re talking about partners in a multi billion dollar organization where one side got everything they wanted the last time the two parties were in dispute and we’re able to parlay that arrangement into record profits, attendance, and increased television exposure. Despite that victory (hard salary cap, escrow payments, salary roll backs … ect) that same party has come back to the table and demanded more.

They’ve been playing under the system designed by owners, fought for by the owners, and implemented by the owners … if they couldn’t make it work it’s the owners fault.

There are far more reasonable ways to run your business than by simply demanding (and that is the operative word as the NHL has publicly taken a “take it or leave it” approach to this) more from your partners or employees when you once again are unable to make as much profit as you had hoped for.

When the player say things like “they feel taken advantage of” it’s because they gave up massive concessions to their partners … and all they’ve got out of it is a request for more.

By: jpgilde

jpgilde — Tue, 11 Sep 2012 17:26:06 +0000

@noisetheorem are you really suggesting that these poor players struggle to make ends meet when they retire? league minimum contracts in 2011-2012 were 525,000. That is about double what an experience doctor or surgeon makes. and almost no nhl player makes league minimum in the first place. and also you are wrong about their experience not translating. most players have opportunities to do anything from development staff, coaches, journalist, analysts, commentators, or even become part of the league staff or owners of teams and entrepreners in many other developing leagues not to mention a lot of them use the money to pursue other things when they retire. anyway if i handed you a million dollars a year for 15 years, do you think you could save enough to live a quiet humble life or is that just barely making ends meet?

By: id4joey

id4joey — Tue, 11 Sep 2012 17:19:34 +0000

And what is the average salary for a player in the NHL?

By: flyeredup202

flyeredup202 — Tue, 11 Sep 2012 14:30:41 +0000

noisetheorem – Sep 11, 2012 at 9:05 AM
But there is something you are missing: These players, not all of which make the big mega millions contracts, only have a short window of time before they are too old or too injured to play. Unlike you or I or anyone else, potentially all of their income earning years come between the ages of 19 and their mid 30s. They have trained their whole lives for this one job that doesnt exactly translate well to anything else (how many job listings ask for first line center experience to join the Accounts Payable department?).

Also, it’s a matter of honor in my opinion. One has to wonder if the Wild and other teams would have handed out the gigantic contracts they did this summer knowing that they would be rolling back those salaries via escrow or other methods in the new CBA. That is just skeevy to me, and it really does appear to be the case. I don’t care if you make 50k or 5mil a year, you should get paid what your promised. Escrow seems pretty skeevy too…you know the owners have every incentive to make it look like they lost money on paper so they don’t have to pay.

And another thing…I’d really like to see all of the guys who say they would love to play for 50k per year go out there against the top talent and see how long they last. My guess is it wouldn’t be for long. It’d be fun as hell to watch though.

Point is you should have been investing your money and saving it instead of buying 5 million dollar houses, Ferrrari’s and other crazy things over the coarse of your “short career” It cracks me up that the League Min is 750k and thats not enought to live on? seriously? I am more for the players then anything but when I hear comments like Danny Breire and Kimmo made about not taking a pay cut like they did last lock out….. that just sickens me The NHL is a business both sides need each other and now they just need to LOCK THEMSELVES in a room and get it done… No one leaves till its done just like any other business would do. No more of these 4 hour meetings and then breaking for 5 days, those days are gone and passed.

By: noisetheorem

noisetheorem — Tue, 11 Sep 2012 13:05:57 +0000

But there is something you are missing: These players, not all of which make the big mega millions contracts, only have a short window of time before they are too old or too injured to play. Unlike you or I or anyone else, potentially all of their income earning years come between the ages of 19 and their mid 30s. They have trained their whole lives for this one job that doesnt exactly translate well to anything else (how many job listings ask for first line center experience to join the Accounts Payable department?).

By: id4joey

id4joey — Tue, 11 Sep 2012 10:49:17 +0000

What a stupid thing to say. As if players don’t need to save money for other reasons than a lock out. I’ve said this before and will say it again. We the fans need to stand up and unite. If the start of the regular season is delayed, then we must $trike when play resumes. Hit them all where it hurts.

By: getadealdonealready

getadealdonealready — Tue, 11 Sep 2012 04:06:11 +0000

Guess what I’ll be saving any money I would have spent on NHL tickets, and spend it somewhere else. I have no interest in supporting a sport that can’t get this figured out!

By: lostpuppysyndrome

lostpuppysyndrome — Tue, 11 Sep 2012 03:31:57 +0000

All 730 players, eh? Sounds like lock-out talk to me.

By: bubblehead2012

bubblehead2012 — Tue, 11 Sep 2012 03:27:48 +0000

The worst thing the players did was hire that moron and his brother.

By: stakex

stakex — Tue, 11 Sep 2012 02:56:30 +0000

That really is the one thing lost on a lot of people taking sides in all this: Its a bunch of millionairs crying over whos going to get more millions. The more I think about it, I don’t really have much love loss for either side.

By: mpg44

mpg44 — Tue, 11 Sep 2012 02:42:50 +0000

Point 1 : so by saying this , you and the players have put more effort into the lockout then you have input into avoiding one . Point 2: you don’t want to be taken advantage of by the owners . kind of how the players and owners ARE taking advantage of the fans right now!! How about if you put the effort into a new CBA years ago instead of saving up for a lockout. We wonks be in this mess now. I really think both sides have now completely lost grip with reality!! GROW UP, both of you!!

By: tealwithit

tealwithit — Tue, 11 Sep 2012 02:28:36 +0000

So tired of hearing from this *ss clown. There is such a thing as too much PR… especially when you’re trying to play the victim card.

By: sippindasyzurp

sippindasyzurp — Tue, 11 Sep 2012 01:34:36 +0000

Ya taken advantage of with 57% of HRR for the last 7 years.. Cry me a river…ill go play for 50k a year over any 9-5 job.. Dont give me that bullsht of being taken advantage of.

By: elemeno89

elemeno89 — Tue, 11 Sep 2012 01:21:33 +0000

i mean im 100% behind the players. they got screwed last time around, but im managing on 50k a year, so i think they’ll be fine. let’s hear more updates on a CBA getting done!