How much money will a locked out season cost the local governemnt in lost taxes, unemployment [for laid off staff during a lockout] and other benefits lost due to the lockout?

For every arguement the Katz is making to justify the money, the governemnt should be turning around and using against Katz to justify ending the lockout. Seems like really bad timing if you ask me. Screw over the local community by preventing business supported by the team from doing business then explain how a new arena will benefit them?

Well said, by the way.

Ticket prices have everything to do with what the market is willing to bear, if you’re going to get angry at the ownership of the Leafs or Oilers or Canucks for raising ticket prices then I guess you might as well be showering praise on the owners of franchises like the Panthers who are practically giving tickets away.. the reality is simply that some teams are in markets where they can charge sky high ticket prices, others are not.

As for taking money away from the players, under the now expired CBA it was pretty clear that the dollar amounts specified in contracts didn’t represent any kind of guarantee those players would see every penny of that total – that’s what escrow means, the players were responsible for making up the difference between the sum of their compensation and the actual percentage of HRR they were allotted. Attempting to “take back” money owed to the players may seem unfair but really it is just a different implementation of the same thing that’s been going on in principle for seven years. The players have done pretty freaking well in that system by the way.

And asking for money from taxpayers.. well I tend to agree there. The idea that Katz needs all of these handouts is pretty ludicrous but I suppose his aim is to frame the issue as one where Edmonton needs the Oilers more than the Oilers need Edmonton. Frankly I don’t think there’s any chance that team moves, and this is all just a bunch of rhetoric.. why else would Katz go to the local rag and ask them to interview him on the subject?

The Oilers were 5th in the league in profits in 2010-11, making more than the Wings, Flyers, Penguins, Bruins, Black Hawks etc, there’s no way any owner would turn their back on profits to move it to a city that’s unknown as far as actual NHL hockey fans go. There’s no way the league would ever let this team move to that location when they’ve got several other more “suitable” candidates for that location.

The Owners GREED has gotten OUT OF HAND!