note: the title came to mind after I wrote the article. I tried to be fair I really did. I wanted to keep this from being a curse fest and now I am going to go hit stuff after repressing my anger while writing this and keeping it suitable for children. The anger is starting ooze out and maybe I should have titled it before the oozing started...enjoy...and comment...
I was going to try to break down on here why the NHL is not going to have a season or least a complete season. However, I am filled with so much utter rage that I can’t even reasonably do this. Now lets get this straight the owners are no angels in this mess, but it’s mainly out of their hands now. Some of the bigger market teams got into an arms race in the NHL to stockpile their teams with talent in order to get the cup, so they figure since they have the money the best way to insure the player will join their team is to pay them insanely high wages so that the majority of the league like Buffalo, Calgary’s, and Ottawa’s of the world will be out of contention.
What this did was allow player’s agents to have more leverage and compare their clients performance to others who are earning more in order to figure out how much they are worth. It trickled down so much that the average players or players that don’t even necessarily draw fans and revenue the way Patrick Roy would. For example, Martin Lapointe’s agent can say he look Micheal Peca got 4.5 million last season when he signed, and Lapointe had 20 goals last year too. So, since this other owner is paying him that, Lapointe should be paid that. They only problem is they are guaranteed contracts unlike some sports, meaning John Leclair can do figure 8’s at center ice and still get paid his 9 million (for the record the other two players salaries were guessed by me, that is actually what John earns). Some players have incentives in their contracts if their static’s hit certain amounts, but should they have to give back some of their money if they suck really bad?
Okay, so the owners help make this mess, but at this point its only the players that can fix it. The NHL has been losing it’s fan base with the game becoming duller and duller each passing year. Fans aren’t supporting the teams as much. Hell the Ottawa Senators simply couldn’t pay their players a few years back. Buffalo was bought out by a bored billionaire, and Ottawa was taken over by the NHL for a time. Almost a dozen NHL teams are close to filling bankruptcy including the Pittsburgh Penguins which oddly enough has their owner also a player. The NHL just narrowly avoided having a team fold in the middle of a season quite a few times, and it’s unlikely they could have made it much longer without having a bored billionaire save the day. They basically used up all of their nine lives, and NHL could only bail out so many teams and it could have happened mid-season which would be a disaster and an embarrassment.
The media cover of the sport has been shrinking in the past few years. In fact the lockout itself has gotten and likely after a few days of it being actual news will disappear to page 7 of the sports papers. It’s a shame that the mainstream media doesn’t follow it like the NHL, because at least they could put some pressure on the two sides.
The most powerful player in this mix is the president of the NHL PA Bob Goodenow might think he knows what is best for his players, but has arrogantly underestimated the backlash of the fans. Forgive me for not being fair and balanced, but if this stupid prick actually believes that fans would return enough to pay the salaries of his precious union members as far down the road as 1.5 years he ought to be tested for drugs. If I were in the position and power of a media hockey guy, I would use Goodenow as face of the death of hockey, and do everything I possibly could to make his life a living hell. I wish nothing but ill-will to him his family and everyone he holds dear to his heart. If I saw him I would certainly pull his shirt over his head and start throwing punches.
I imagine from reading the quotes that some players clearly including Keith Primeau in the Daily News that said that it would hurt hockey. Well, gee doesn’t sound like you agree with what your union leader is doing if you think it’s going to bad, right? Okay, technically the owners LOCKED out the players, but independent studies have shown the financially the league can live the way it is, or even with the proposal that the players union drew up. In fact they barely made any changes in the one they presented last week in the one they did 15 months ago.
It’s unbelievable after seeing the damage a strike did to baseball a much stronger financially stable sport. I can’t imagine that even if the season starts in January that all will be forgiven at the drop of the puck. In the post 9/11 world the tolerance of such BS is drastically lower. It’s ironic that as Hurricane Ivan is about to hit the land on the US, and destroy people’s homes and take lives that this arrogant players can actually think that a salary cap which would simply lower their earning potential (a few million as opposed to mega millions) is an actual “PROBLEM”.
I can’t imagine how anyone can side with the players, if the want to blame the owners more for this mess then that’s your opinion which I clearly disagree with. However, I don’t know how anyone can actually SIDE with the players or sympathize for them. Try to use any example you want, but it comes down to the players want the chance to earn ludicrous money. Just one thing greed. The league minimum (600,000k I am fairly sure) is certainly enough for anyone to live on. The union might think they are trying to do them a favor to keep them forever in this utopia of inflated salaries, but the truth is the money going can’t and won’t support it. Like all industries the bubble has burst, just ask all the people who went into debt after the airlines industry took a nose dive. If they want to act like big business bad-asses the greedy dickweeds, need to accept the good with the bad. In this case the bad is still having everyone making more than more American do that work all year round. No one is losing their house, or being exploited here. Unions back in the day helped factory workers who could barely afford to not starve to death fight back. When children were factory workers were 12 or younger. When things were certainly messed up back then and America is a better place for those unions. There are no heros here, a lock out doesn’t help the sport, it doesn’t help Goodenow or his union members, unless he wants to be named Time Magazine’s Asshole of the year.
Sorry for the length of the article, but I am sure you knew this was coming. I think I have exercised pretty good restraint from turning it into a cursing tirade. One more think, earlier tonight John Lecalir said is doesn’t really matter all that much till January since most people are going to be talking about the Eagles anyway. True the Eagles over shadow the other teams in this area, but the hard core fans like myself can’t wait for this time of year just ask all the people who sit in the frozen Skatezone just to watch the team skate. How, utterly a dumb thing for John to say, and not to mention insulting to his fans. Does he really think they can go that long and not feel the affects? Last I checked the Flyers were begging for people to come to their games all year round. What a smug cocksucker he is, I guess it doesn’t really matter to that prick that God gave him the talent to play the game. I guess it doesn’t matter the beautiful game of hockey that brings so much happiness to hard working people as the highlight of the work week is going to be ruined. People who like to sit down and watch the game and forget about their REAL problems for a few hours are being screwed. I can only hope that with his new found down time he pulls a Pelle , but if he wants us to give a crap he better do it after the Eagles get eliminated.
Oh… here is a test to see what an impact this lockout will have. Look at the headline of all 3 papers tomorrow I bet its on the front of one at best. Maybe a side story on some, but likely not even a mention on some. I am always setting a date for January 15th, 2005 as my deadline. If the NHL does not return by then, I will lock out the entire league (maybe not the sport I might still watch the AHL, and will give the WHA a shot) for the rest of my life. That’s right I will quit the NHL cold turkey and never watch another game. January 15th , 2005 or I will lock them out of my life forever.
Bob Goodenow can kiss my ass. You may have just signed the NHL's death warrent. No one wins with a lockout.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
6 comments:
It amuses me how much politics has to play in this supposedly non-political issue. Just look at you and me. The conservative supports management, the liberal supports labor.
Seriously, the owners have themselves to blame for runaway salaries. It reminds me of the Republicans in the 90s pushing for a balanced budget amendment. As Clinton proved, you don't need a Constitutional amendment, you just need to have the stones to balance the budget. The owners need to have the stones to stay "Go play for someone else, you greedy prick." Instead they say, let me pay you an unGodly fortune and then lock you out if you don't agree to a salary cap.
Like I said the owners made their bed, but still the players are the only ones that can stop the lockout.
I think this has less to do with politics and more to do with sanity.
If Goodenow didn't budge on anything. He didn't lift a finger to really work towards getting this resloved. If the NHL was not in dire straits I don't think his move to refuse a cap would be as misguided as it is.
Drew, seriously what possible reason is there for them not to have a salary cap? The players are the ones that are supposed to get people watching the game, no one watches them on tv as result less money comes into the teams. The players are getting paid to bring make people fans, they have failed miserably.
Yes they told them they would give them tons of money in the past, but the past is the past. The bubble has burst. Goodenow is damaging the sport, and his union members best intersets by pissing off the loyal fan base for the sport.
Yes, the owners mainly the bigger market teams (philly one of them) let it got out of hand trying to steal each others players and prevent other teams from getting them.
Lets say Goodenow gets his way and the owners cave in in a lets say two years. Fans wont return, and the teams will still not be able to pay their players.
Other major sports have a salary cap, so thats the big deal? Do you really think movie studios should pay actors who have had string a flops the same they did in their prime?
Both sides have mentioned how fans might get pissed, but neither seem to care.
What do you mean the players are the only ones who can stop the lockout? How does that work?
You even said it yourself: "Lets say Goodenow gets his way and the owners cave in in a lets say two years." Forget that. Let's say the owners cave today. What happens? What's the result? You have opening day as planned in late October, that's what. You have a hockey season, just like last year.
The owners won't make as much money. Some of the owners will lose money, or sell their teams for a net loss. Some of the teams might even fold in the near future. I'm still looking for the downside here.
But no, according to you, only the players can stop the lockout, and it's the players who are greedy. Even though you admit that both sides recognize that the lockout hurts the sport, and neither side seems to care, it's the players who are blind, and it's Bob Goodenow who you want to burn in hell.
If the owners cave in teams still lose money and go bellyup. If the players get their way and the lockout is 2 years, no one will care about hockey. The fans won't return. I bet most places draw less then 1,000 people for their games.
Both sides realize it's bad for the game. THe owner's just can't do anything about it. Most of the teams are losing money and the NHL has been in bad shape the last two years.
The players will still be all millionaires under the new contract. The owners want a salary cap because they have lost money and its impossible to keep many of them a float. The NHLPA just wants more money regardless of what is good for the league, or what happens to teams. They just want total control of money that isn't there. Blinded by greed and ignorance that their fanbase will actually stand for it. That's the thing, the NHLPA seems to think they will suffer, but regain their fans.
Wait, the NHLPA just wants more money? So, in order to pursue the goal of getting more money, they propose an across the board 5% salary cut. How exactly does that work?
Here are the major problems with anyone who bothered to actually read it.
1. Free Agency - Players leave for what .... more money.
2. Arbitration - Players go to someone and say I want more money I don't care if my team can afford it. If the team cannot afford it the player is considered a free agent and he ...what people... leaves for more money.
I am ...oh sorry.... a Rangers Fan and have been since childhood. I have seen the lack of production by big name players with inflated salaries do jack and squat on the ice. If it's a freaking union let's make it a real union system. Get rid of the agents. Everyone at each level gets paid the same. A base salary and then a tiered reward system for playing well. Then the players can decide to play for a team because he thinks they can win and likes the club not whiney multi-millionares complaining they aren't getting paid enough and move to another team. It's a goddamn team sport. No one player is good enough to change a team. There are 6 players on the ice and a hockey player only plays at most 30 minutes of that. Gee for 30 minutes of work I can make $15,000. Gee being a hockey player sucks.
(It's called sarcasm)
Post a Comment