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NHL - There might just be a Season (part deux)

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bishoptl

Banstick Emeritus
Good.

Despite what some of you might believe, a 28-game season

- with multiple unsigned FA players
- passport issues to be worked out
- arena date schedule to be juggled

simply wouldn't be feasible. Sure, it'd be a mad race to the playoffs and all, but really - the effort needed to get the infrastructure rolling again would be near-impossible under the schedule the NHL would be under. Not to mention the asterisk that the eventual SC winner would always have beside their franchise.

I want to see the game on the ice fixed. I want the economics to make sense long-term, not just to jimmy it into some bullshit last minute deal to save face with ESPN (and face it folks, America doesn't give a rat's ass about hockey). If losing the ESPN television deal is part and parcel of getting my game back, so be it.

Contract certain teams. Fix the revenue and player contract situation. Bring the game back to where it matters (ie. Canadian cities) and support the American cities that have demonstrated sustained support for hockey (ie. Minnesota, Columbus). To hell with the rest of them.

Do it right or don't do it at all. That's what I say.
 

SickBoy

Member
It was really in the players' best interests to agree to the league's final offer (assuming that's what was on the table). At this point, the process starts anew, and to build around a league that's done considerable self-inflicted damage.

Not only that, but it's clear in the war of public opinion, the players have already lost. I think their bargaining position was already weak, and it's now even weaker...

EDIT:
"I think there was a misconception that the two sides were close," NHLPA president Trevor Linden told reporters after the meeting. "I think, frankly, it came from the side of ownership and certainly general managers and some players and fans and media.

LOL.... I can tell you who it didn't come from, it didn't come from people who have no interest in hockey (yeah, I know he's talking about the union... but it came from everyone but the union).

EDIT 2: And does anyone else get the impression that the union didn't actually read any of the NHL proposals until today?

The NHLPA says the league altered a number of facets from the Dec. 9 union model it was supposed to work from with the salary cap. The league sees is differently.
 

calder

Member
Whew thank god. I didn't even check the internet or TV all day because I felt that a season now would be a joke even if they somehow pulled it off, and now it looks like making a quickie deal today would have been a disaster.

Clearly the owners are to blame now, the NHLPA was all about negociating today and the league keep holding up on the same proposal not willing to move at all.
Nope, the NHL only invited the PA for more talks today because Linden asked for further discussion. Neither side made *any* further offer on the cap amount, and by all accounts they both realized that the non-cap issues were much more divisive than they thought. Arbitration, FA, etc were all major obstacles and I guess both sides could see there was no point in worrying about the cap figure.


This further couple of days of misplaced optimism and swirling rumours were a downer for fans and the ppl involved I guess. Did anyone else see the circle of rumours from THN to TSN to ESPN to USAToday and then back and forth and notice how similar it was to gaming rumours at like E3? Like when one site has a hot rumour and then it goes around changing just a tiny bit so that it looks like other sites are reporting the same thing independently when really it's just the same initial 'MS to buy Sega' report?

The whole thing was worth it though to see Brian Burke snap on Glen Healy tonight. :lol Healy was being his normal dumbass self parroting meaningless PA talking points and FINALLY Burke had had enough. Awesome the way he slapped down "Heels" like a pushy beggar and Healy couldn't say anything because, let's face it, he has like a grade 10 education and his nice pair of reading spectacles don't actually imbue him with the +5 wisdom he seems to think they do.
 

Socreges

Banned
calder said:
The whole thing was worth it though to see Brian Burke snap on Glen Healy tonight. :lol Healy was being his normal dumbass self parroting meaningless PA talking points and FINALLY Burke had had enough. Awesome the way he slapped down "Heels" like a pushy beggar and Healy couldn't say anything because, let's face it, he has like a grade 10 education and his nice pair of reading spectacles don't actually imbue him with the +5 wisdom he seems to think they do.
Damn, I need to see that. Was it on any particular program or just a 'back to the studio' type thing? They'll probably replay it, but I'd like to know when.
 

bishoptl

Banstick Emeritus
Reason #372883 why the Canucks should never have let him go as GM. Burkie is physically incapable of holding his tongue. :)
 
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