I just want to watch some damn good hockey.
If that's all you care about, tune in to your local AHL game. No one said the players are "innocent", but you tell me what you would say to your employer if they asked you to take such a cut.
I just want to watch some damn good hockey.
If that's all you care about, tune in to your local AHL game. No one said the players are "innocent", but you tell me what you would say to your employer if they asked you to take such a cut.
I don't even think there is a local AHL team here. Besides, I want to watch the best, which is the NHL. The league that I've been watching for over 30 years.
At this point, it is what it is. The 50/50 split is where they need to be, and the NHL offered that. I know their offer isn't perfect, but it's a place to start. The PA makes themselves look just as greedy as the owners by not working from that offer.
Now it's entirely possible that what the PA came back with is just as reasonable but I have my doubts based on Bettman's post-meeting press conference. He's not one to show his emotions in public, but he was clearly dejected, and I don't think he was acting that way purely to manipulate the media/fans.
Sorry, but the players aren't innocent bystanders in this. They don't deserve blind support from anyone. They're not a bunch of kids who need protection. They're grown men involved in a multi-billion dollar business.
The NHL gave them (from what most people say) a reasonable proposal, and from what everyone can tell, they chose to ignore it and propose 3 new proposals.
I don really care if the players get screwed over. Why should I? I just want them to settle this. I don't care who wins. I'm past that at this point.
I just want to watch some damn good hockey.
If that's all you care about, tune in to your local AHL game. No one said the players are "innocent", but you tell me what you would say to your employer if they asked you to take such a cut.
The players can't get paid this amount anywhere else to do this same thing so they better rethink their negotiating position. Of course, the owners don't really have any options either to field hockey teams at this level. BUT - they have deeper pockets.
Sorry, but Gary Bettman isn't a cliche evil cartoon character. To say that he doesn't care about the game is inaccurate and completely naive.
He's a lawyer and negotiator, and to think that he chose to go the route of a lockout 3 times because he wanted to and it was purely his choice, is also being naive.
There's a lot of money involved, and Gary is simply doing his job, which is trying to protect his employers' investments.
I'm not defending him, and I don't agree with everything he has done, but I'm just trying to bring a little reality to the thread.
Of course there's a lot of money involved. But to say that this is the only way he can ever get anything done is silly and naive too. There could very well be hockey right now while negotiations happen. The lockout is the NHL's choice, bottom line.
Let's see- whenever Bettman doesn't get his way, he imposes a lockout. Do you honestly think this will be the last time with his record? No. He'll do it again and again. If the players don't stand up to it this time, he'll rely on this strategy after every agreement expires. It has to stop sometime.
Come on man. There couldn't be hockey going on right now without a CBA. I don't think any pro league would play without one.
40% of the players aren't signed to contracts. What rules are their contracts supposed to follow? The old ones? The potential new ones? None?
A multi-billion dollar business would be very irresponsible to operate without an agreement like that.
Bettman is a mouthpiece for the owners. So, when you say that "he locked them out" that is the owners. He only does what the owners tell him and has no other serious power. The guy is ultimately a puppet.
And, btw, they will do this every time the agreement expires just like they do in every sport and with every company that works with a union (cars, planes, teachers, FD/PD, etc). It's negotiation -- whoever has the upper hand gets a better deal. Right now they both feel like they have the upper hand. Someone is wrong. We will see who.
I don't see why they can't just sit down and take both sides proposals and put something together from them that suits both parties. It's not that hard to compromise.
This continued back and forth just makes both sides look like greedy ****ing morons.
If that's all you care about, tune in to your local AHL game. No one said the players are "innocent", but you tell me what you would say to your employer if they asked you to take such a cut.
Continue with the old until a new contract is agree upon. It's not that difficult. Corporations do it all the time. The last company I worked for did it- worked with clients after a contract expired while a new one was negotiated.
Then at some point, if the owners continue on this path in the future, there will inevitably be more profitable places for players at some point.
I don't see why they can't just sit down and take both sides proposals and put something together from them that suits both parties. It's not that hard to compromise.
This continued back and forth just makes both sides look like greedy ****ing morons.
Where is that, Lee? No other league can absorb all of the active NHL-ers. And, if they did, it would be in markets that don't have the same capitalization of the US/Canadian market meaning that they couldn't sustain the big salaries. A few players will get bigger jobs but most won't.
Then at some point, if the owners continue on this path in the future, there will inevitably be more profitable places for players at some point.
I mostly just glanced over the few posts prior.
Here's a great post breaking down 2 of the 3 NHLPA offers in terms of dollars. Supposedly their 3rd was such junk it wasn't worth covering.
Please read, quite a nice summary: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/spor...-50-compromise-may-not-matter/article4622895/
**** you bettman, **** you owners, **** you NHLPA.
Amen to this.
I'm going to wear my Ovechkin jersey to the NASCAR race tomorrow. Assuming I survive (which I think is likely to happen, this is Kansas, not Talladega.....), hopefully the karma will help bring about a resolution.
http://www.change.org/petitions/gar...k&utm_source=share_petition&utm_term=31908246
sign if you want, but the video is fantastic. If we weren't in a labor dispute, it could be a marketing promo for the game.