Comments on: Why did Bettman suggest a two-week moratorium on talks?

By: davebabychreturns

davebabychreturns — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 14:36:18 +0000

Say what you will. Most people are. Then again, some simply don’t want to watch second rate hockey (or ditch the sport entirely).

Completely abadoning the NHL when you have followed it your whole life over a couple of work stoppages is about as stupid.. well it’s about as stupid as the players and owners losing an entire season because they are angry at each other.

By: id4joey

id4joey — Sun, 18 Nov 2012 07:28:57 +0000

I get it now. So, the NHL dies to be replaced by what?

By: mountainmantride

mountainmantride — Sat, 17 Nov 2012 21:48:13 +0000

That’s what the horse and buggy industry said when Ford started building cars.

By: mountainmantride

mountainmantride — Sat, 17 Nov 2012 21:44:49 +0000

Sheep.

By: mountainmantride

mountainmantride — Sat, 17 Nov 2012 21:43:41 +0000

Great idea. The fans should have a say. And if we’re not going to a seat at the table then don’t buy a seat in the rink. Money talks.

By: cspsrbums

cspsrbums — Sat, 17 Nov 2012 06:06:24 +0000

Id4 shut the f… up u talk like you know something you know nothing you are annoying to everyone on here

By: id4joey

id4joey — Sat, 17 Nov 2012 01:43:35 +0000

NHL is finished? Don’t be stupid.

By: cspsrbums

cspsrbums — Sat, 17 Nov 2012 00:13:17 +0000

NHL is finished start a new league

By: 8man

8man — Sat, 17 Nov 2012 00:10:37 +0000

“I must break you.”

By: id4joey

id4joey — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 23:45:06 +0000

The players will be crawling back very very soon, and will give give and give back to the owners. It Is the law of the jungle, and the lions/owners will prevail. The players lost all their leverage on Sept 15. These guys make peanuts during the playoffs, and therefore would have gone on strike immediately when the season would have ended. So, stop with the notion that the players were ready to play on the old CBA. The leverage has always been on the owners side.

By: steelers88

steelers88 — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 23:08:12 +0000

NHL season=Over

By: id4joey

id4joey — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 22:59:36 +0000

Just saying…
id4joey
Nov 15, 2012, 6:22 PM EST
Alright NHLPA, your move. How much longer will it take before you crawl back to the negotiation table? Take the hit. What are your options? You play hockey for a living, and though many of you are very marginal players you are paid in excess of 2m per year. Not bad. Right? It’s NHL or what?

By: sportsfan69

sportsfan69 — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 22:54:18 +0000

Mike Russo,

Please print the facts. as a fan, we, the fans need to know the truth. By the way Mike Russo is news reporter just reporting the facts. He was on the power play with Boomer.

By: sportsfan69

sportsfan69 — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 22:49:56 +0000

Mike Russo,

PLEASE PUT OUT THE FACTS ON THE CBA.

Once the facts are out, the fan revolved on the players.

By: capsrockva

capsrockva — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 22:14:33 +0000

I just want the dam season to start for our sake. The fans are the most important people and both sides are screwing us over. I’m going to watch the college hockey game tonight, but I would rather be watching the NHL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! damit get the ddam season start!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

By: atwatercrushesokoye

atwatercrushesokoye — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 22:01:19 +0000

Something tells me the owners like their money and don’t want to be found guilty in an Anti-Trust case where the damages are automatically tripled, “terminating all contracts” would pretty much ensure that.

By: bhawksrule

bhawksrule — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 21:02:33 +0000

Because no one wants to watch second and third tier hockey talent at the top level. Professional sports don’t quite compare to the “Average Joe” job…… There aren’t replacements for lower pay that will keep your product on the ice thriving and generating income.

By: lonespeed

lonespeed — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 20:47:48 +0000

This might be a nieve view, but if they really want to blow up the league, then why not just terminate all the contracts and start over. If the owners really want to create a new baseline for the league, they can set whatever cap ceiling / cap floor they want and then figure out how they are going to obtain players in a fair manor. They want to shave 30% off the cap, then fine, do it.

Sure, it would completely piss off all the players but no matter what, the league would still be the highest paying league in the world. Some players will come back and even if they don’t, then over time they will because they’ll see that a bunch of scrubs are making more money than they are playing in the European / Russian leagues. If a previous second-line player realizes he could dominate the league if he crossed over, then he’ll submit his name to whatever draft, free-agent, tryout process the NHL decides to go with.

I just don’t understand why the owners don’t say ‘screw you guys, we’re not giving out 10m anymore and you’ll just have to live with it, and if you don’t we’ll find someone to play for 3-5m. You guys go right ahead and play in SM-liiga or Slovak Extraliga or KHL, or whatever league you want to play for less than 1m. Out of sight, out of mind. The fans will learn new faces and young talent will replace all of you within 2-3 years. The hockey is about the crest on the jersey, not the name Ovechkin or Crosby on the jersey’.

By: woodstakes

woodstakes — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 19:55:26 +0000

Yup your right.. you are. But Bettman has been a total class act and has a wonderful reputation. You counter a D-Bag with a D-Bag. Bettmans just pissed that the players found someone with same size ego to counter his ego. It it good for hockey? It’s not for the fans, but it is for the players.

By: woodstakes

woodstakes — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 19:52:15 +0000

What do you mean? The players haven’t tendered an offer sheet yet?? They have offered multiple offers on multiple times. The 1st offer by owners… 3 offers from players.. 2nd offer from owners.. 2 offers from players… 3rd offer from owners (make whole) 3 offers from players.. WTH are you talking about they haven’t offered anything yet. Not in ONE of the offers by the players have they asked the owners to make a concession.. did they say. “We want you to increase our revenue by 17%!” or “We want UFA to start in year 4!” “We want increase variances in long term contracts!” “We want no limit on contract lengths!”… the players have not ASKED for anything that will improve their stance as it stands under the last CBA. The players every single offer sheet has been a decrease in what they currently had. So where is it that the owners have said “Ok we’ll give up…” anything?? No, they said “We’ll agree to take less away from you here…” that is not a concession and it is not the same thing as the players giving up 7% of revenue. Bottom line is the owners haven’t given up one single thing they had in the last CBA into the current CBA.

By: bhawksrule

bhawksrule — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 19:44:53 +0000

Fehr has been a complete jack ass since day one. Using stall tactics, leaving talks and coming back claiming he forgot something, making owners and players wait for 6 hours because he didn’t show up when he said he would, making no real offers or counter offers in good faith, etc etc…

Even former players are calling his tactics bush league. If anyone has been disrespecting the process and dragging it on, it’s been Fehr.

Now is NHL has put the spotlight back on him to make an actual offer or else there is no season.

By: bhawksrule

bhawksrule — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 19:28:48 +0000

Fehr has never made an actual offer once yet…. He’s just sat back and let the NHL negotiate with themselves . They are done with it now. Time to step up Fehr.

By: id4joey

id4joey — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 19:26:43 +0000

Ah! The things we say when we are frustrated. We are like a child who got his candy taken away. No matter how you spin this conflict, it will not deteriorate the on ice product. Hence, most of us will be there when the league will resume. Sad, but true.

By: woodstakes

woodstakes — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 19:18:07 +0000

also (accidentally hit post) how is it exactly that the ‘ball is in Fehr’s court’?? The players have already said they will reduce down to 50/50 split. So the players have given up 7% of revenue. What exactly is it that the owners give up?? No move on contract issues… no move on arbitration rights.. ALL the owners have done is Demand this and Demand that, the PLAYERS are the only ones who have lost anything so far. Where exactly is the players win so far?? By losing 7% of revenue instead of the that ridiculous 17% cut the owners “offered” in the 1st offer sheet?? I would NOT call that a win since they are losing revenue. Whether 50/50 split is fair or not (I believe it is), it still the players giving up something while the owners stand there and ask for more and more and more.

By: woodstakes

woodstakes — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 19:13:06 +0000

…. and you think the owners aren’t doing the same to Bettman?? You can already see it coming… owners stepping up and saying little things. Nothing that will get them the $1 Million fine, however its getting there. I’m betting there is an awful lot of “Umm, Gary? You said we’d be playing by Nov/Dec and here we are staring January in the face!” Sure, there is a few a owners who feel like they are losing less money than the others, but there are 4-10 owners who make REALLY good money under the current CBA and will in the next who are getting antsier and antsier about it as well.

By: kyzslew77

kyzslew77 — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 19:06:49 +0000

Getting pretty tired of seeing comments on PHT from people who think anyone would pay to see replacement players. This is not a union of assembly line workers who can be replaced. There is not another Stamkos, there is not another Quick, etc. etc. You can find college-level talented players to fill the NHL uniforms, but it won’t be the NHL as we know it. No one will pay for broadcasting rights, no one will pay anything close to current ticket prices, no one will buy any merchandise. I know it’s fun for some people to say THESE PLAYERS ARE SO GREEDY, and maybe the people who say that are right, but you can’t pretend like the players have no leverage. The players have a lot of leverage, which is why the league hasn’t busted the union or hired replacements yet.

By: bhawksrule

bhawksrule — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 19:04:38 +0000

I think it’s actually a good idea. Let’s see what Fehr is made of now.
Ball is in Fehr’s court. I can guarantee you there are players breathing down Fehr’s neck to make a deal.

By: comeonnowguys

comeonnowguys — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 18:52:54 +0000

In no world does Fehr care about the future of hockey. He’s just there to “win.”

By: sharksfanatic

sharksfanatic — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 18:41:52 +0000

Fehr represents the people that care about hockey? Really?

By: paledevil

paledevil — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 18:38:40 +0000

The fear and loathing you feel is just the next step on the rollercoaster we call the CBA…(Fear and loathing= f it i am done.) After this intense feeling of “i give a shoot” it will become funny. You will actively taunt any nhl talk or apparal.(the unfollow blitz and haha at jerseys biz).. After the being a jerk hahas wear off you will slip into the disbelief its not done part and into the get it done part..
Heres the thing, those last 2 we have already experienced its going backwards akin to a ring of fire.. We are trapped…..
A swift painless closure is all we can hope for … One way or the other….