Upcoming Season ( NHL)
 

With the CBA ( collective bargaining agreement) getting both sides absolutely nowhere, we are staring a deadlock in the face. Possibly even the end of the NHL as we know it. Yes, they did it in 95 as well, and only played half of a season, but it is way more intense this time. ( or so the media percieves it)

The players dont want a salary cap, because they are whiney b**ches who barely play any games for millions of dollars. Look at Lindross, he made somewhere like $5-6 million, and didnt even play 1/4 of a season, and he has the gall to say salary caps arnt needed. The Players put themselves in this position.

Some of them who defend against making less money, are willing to play in Europe, where in turn, they will be making, Yes, less money. So the point they are trying to get across is a little oxymoronic to me.

So i have a few questions to ask the sports minded of you.

First, do you think that the NHL will play ANY games at all this year, or do you think it will be a full lockout?

Second, do you think this will be the end of the NHL as we know it.

Third, with the WHA ( World Hockey association) Starting up this year, will the hockey minded of you be watching this or paying attention to it to fill the NHL' less void in your hearts?

Fourth, if the NHL gets up and running, do you think any progress will have actually been made, or do you think they are just going to keep everything the way it is?

And lastly, if the NHL starts up again, do you think they will do what they have done so many times before and buy out the WHA teams thus resulting in more NHL temas where there dont deserve to be teams? Expansion shouldnt be in the NHL's vocabulary right now. They shortened the seasona few years back, and added teams, if anything, if you add teams, you add games.

I personally think they should add more games, people say " well, less games mean quicker playoffs" so what. Less games mean just that. Less games. Which means more time waiting for the season to start over again.


EDIT: It just seems to me that the players are nothing without the fans, they wouldnt have money, teams or jobs here, and i feel like they are just giving us ( the fan) the finger. And it hurts. I would kill to be in the NHL. Hell, i would do it for free. They lost sight of what they wanted to do when they were younger and the all mighty capitalist dollar caught up with them. So they realised they can do what they love, and make millions,all at the same time ( which is why i respect Paul Kariya, he agreed for a $1.5 million contract, which is way less than what he took from Anaheim) and the fact they might have to give it up hurts them.

" What, oh no, i cant live off of $900,000 a year!! thats like scrap money!!!"

Let me tell you something, i could get more than enough people who would play in the NHL for no money. I could get list upon list of person who would pay the NHL for a chance to play. The players need to stop crying about it and be men.

Re: Upcoming Season ( NHL)
 

I highly doubt we will even be seeing half a season, but there is always a possibility. As one Canadian reporter put it, the deadline is not September 15th, it is actually sometime in January (which is the halfway point in the season).

The NHLPA offered a Luxury Tax, a 5% rollback in player salaries and revenue sharing. This has been the best offer from the NHLPA, but Gary Bettman has allready said that they will no accept a Luxury Tax.


Who, Nash, Forsberg and Thornton? Making less money is always better than making no money. And these three players will thrive in the European leagues. Both Thornton and Forsberg have been injured by the rough styles of the NHL, and Thornton has complained many times about the interference and stickwork in the NHL. If there is no season, these three guys will light it up in European leagues, while making decent cash.

I think it will be a full lockout. This is because it is believed that if there is any type of a lockout, there will be several NHL teams that will have to drop out of the league. I know that the owner's have over $300 million set aside in case of the lockout, but I don't see how some teams will be able to function with a lockout, and regaining fans' interest in the sport after an agreement is reached.

Hell no.

I will be watching this if it is the only alterernative. However, most teams still have to get their building plans worked out and stuff.

The NHLPA does not want a salary cap and the owner's do not want a luxury tax. If they somehow get past this, everything will be just peachy.

I am pretty sure they only bought out WHA teams once. It was 1979 I believe. Winnipeg, Edmonton and Quebec were some of the cities that the NHL set up shop in. WHA thrived in these cities.... Too bad Winnipeg and Quebec lost their teams. And the NHL might expand, only because they would lose a couple of teams in the lockout.

I suck at hockey, hell I can't even skate. I would die to be in the NHL too, but that just wouldn't be good for the fans, now would it? I can't believe you are comparing yourself and your friends to the elite players in the NHL. The reason why they get paid so well is because they are awesome players. Who would you rather give more money too? The owners, or the players who actually perform for us?

Re: Upcoming Season ( NHL)
 

They bought out the WHA a few more times, i know Hartford was one of them, and yeah.

I wasnt comparing MY friends to the elite players of the NHL, i said i could find people who would do it for free. I never said i would do it and want to be paid. In all honesty, if i EVER ( un-bloody likely) play in the NHL, i will play for next to nothing. Whats the point of making craploads of money when your living your dream? And why would you need all that money anyways? Who knows, maybe im just jaded.

Re: Upcoming Season ( NHL)
 

If you were doing something you love, and could make millions of dollars doing so, why wouldn't you?

Re: Upcoming Season ( NHL)
 

I wouldnt do it if it contributed to the work stoppage of the thing i love to do.


Im just mad because the NHLPA are being stupid jerks about it all. They keep saying "look what a salary cap did to the NFL" what do you mean 'what did it do?' At least theyre still f****** playing their sport. Who cares if the brunt of the players take salary cuts, most of them are overpaid anyways. They are complaining that 3 million isnt good enough. ( about) What kind of f****** lifestyle do you have to have so that 3 million isnt a living wage? Its all because of capitalism. Damn you capitalism. Damn you to hell.

Re: Upcoming Season ( NHL)
 

Bettman is a moron, who ran the league into the ground, so I can't fully blame the players for wanting to put the screws to him, but the fact is the sport simply isn't large enough to have salaries comparable to the other 3 major sports (I don't even know if hockey is a major sport anymore.)

What the league needs, is contraction. Nashville, San Jose, Charlotte, Anaheim, one of the Florida teams, Atlanta, Columbus, Phoenix. You could dump all of those teams and I won't shed a tear. The quality of play would skyrocket and the league would come out winners in the end. If this happens by the NHL's own will, great, if it happens because the NHL folds and the players start a new league, even better.

Re: Upcoming Season ( NHL)
 

How long has Charolotte had a team for?:p

And yeah, they do need contraction.

And if your talking in all of N.A. if its a major sport, ( i dont know how your judging it however) i doubt it is. But in Canada, it is THE sport. It is the main sport in Canada, always has been, always will be.

And the sport IS large enough. Its regional my friend. Baseball isnt large in Montreal, yet they have a team. There are many many many teams in the NHL that have sold out season after season after season of consecutive games. I think its mainly because of the Iversons and the Rodriguez's that players want more money. Player for any sport are way over paid, but i thin when it comes to the situation of a lockout, they should realize what they are doing and admit they have faulted.

Re: Upcoming Season ( NHL)
 

Well you could look at it that it is the players fault for having such high contracts... But you can also put blame to owners for giving out huge contracts to lure stars to their town.

And yeah, Bettman is a loser. I hate him sooo sooo much, lol. And if those teams (except Charlotte, because their organization is too good and too meaningful to the NHL and its history), drop out, the league would definitely be a much more exciting and more equal league because many allstars would have to join new teams... and the ****ty players can go back to the minors, lol.


Look at the players that would be available by taking those teams out:

Sergei Federov
Vaclav Prospal
Petr Sykora
Rob Neidermyer
Jean-Sebastien Giguere
Ilya Kovalchuk
Dany Heatly
Rick Nash
Olli Jokinen
Stephen Weiss
Jay Bouwmeester
Roberto Luongo
Scott Walker
David Legwand
Steve Sullivan
Tomas Vokoun
Shane Doan
Daymond Langkow
Ladislav Nagy
Patrick Marleau
Nils Ekman
Evgeni Nabokov


So, you get the point. Those aren't all of the best players on the teams, and not any of the really young prospects. If these guys are divided into the new 22 team roster, we would be viewing some much better hockey.