Looks like reruns on the NHL Network for me! :mad:
I’m not even sure how to comment on the NHL thing. It’s impossible to really sympathize with the players, but the actions of the owners are so incredibly, openly cynical and dishonest that it’s just beyond the pale.
It’s a shame such a wonderful game’s highest level is entrusted to such evil, avaricious scum.
Here in Canada the lockout seems to be generating a different reaction than it did in 2004-2005. Then there was legitimate panic. Now, people are just saying “a pox on both their houses.” People know there’s no overall economic impact, and there’s the sense that, hey, we lived through it before, what the hell, we can do it again.
With teamwork it is amazing how big a hole you can dig.
I think that the average salary in the NHL is over $2 million. I’ve mentioned this before, but do the players realize that they will NEVER be able to make up any income lost during a work stoppage? For many players this is their second lockout and for a few, their third. And they are digging in their heels for what? 7-10% of the revenue pie that they want to spread around the whole NHLPA?
And the owners…this is the fourth work stoppage in 20 years since Bettman took over. First one, games were delayed but not missed. Second one cost the league almost half a season. Third one cost the NHL a full season. Now, the NHLPA has a more ‘militant’ leader in Fehr so how much will we lose now? I read somewhere that owners may have signed some insane contracts lately (Minnesota Wild, I am looking in your general direction) that they figured would be neutered with a new CBA.
Of course, the biggest losers in all of this is us, the fans. I really think that hockey had gained some momentum in the last couple of years, finally making up for the previous lockout. Of course all of that goes out the window with another stoppage. With more entertainment outlets then ever, there is a good chance that some of those fans are never coming back.
Congratulations guys. One hell of a hole you have there.
This time, I don’t believe the players are the ones doing it. (Didn’t they just lose a suit to STOP the lockout from occuring?) Not that that makes it okay. This time around, it’s the owners playing hardball.
Bettman needs to go. No, he’s not the only one responsible, but he’s an incompetant tool.
I’m technically siding with the players on this one. The owners offered some amazingly stupid contracts in the off season. Now they want to be protected from themselves. Nope. Not buying it.
Now I say “technically” because I just can’t seem to care. I’ll just watch more football this year. I don’t think they’ll nuke another full year this time around, but I think they’ll lose a chunk of games. I’d go so far as to say the Winter Classic is 50/50 at best. The biggest problem is that both sides firmly believe that the other side won’t let another season go down the drain, so they don’t have to give anything up. It won’t be until games get cancelled that any real negotiations will start.
Question – if people bought tickets, do they get a refund? Especially for season tickets, if the whole season is cancelled? Because I’d be screaming bloody-blue murder if I didn’t.
Yes, they do.
I’m not sure how it works if one buys “Seat licenses” and other such one-time or season-oriented fees and if they are pro-rated, but certainly the per-game cost is refunded.
Anyone know if there will be any KHL games broadcast? I’d love to check out the level of play. I didn’t think the Swedish Elite League looked all that great the last lockout. But hey, hockey is hockey.
I thought these videos were interesting - I know Mathieu Darche is very involved with the NHLPA and he gives his view rather clearly. He feels the league hasn’t really justified WHY the players should be paid less, especially in light of the signings that have happened since the first offer by the league and in the last few days last week. A contract is a contract, the players are offering to limit the growth in their contracts but don’t see why there should be claw backs when the league has increased revenue. Last time part of the argument had to do with lowering ticket prices, and that didn’t happen, so why should they agree to that now?
Anyways, nice to see some of the Habs back in the city, even if it’s just on crappy video clips on HIO. Ryan White’s nose looks to be about 2 inches to the right of where it should be and Bouillon is as charismatic as ever.
DAMMIT I WANT HOCKEY!!!
I might have to go see more CFL games between now and November…maybe there’ll be hockey after the Grey Cup, if not before 
I might go to the second-ever Phoénix de Sherbrooke hockey game this weekend, against the Voltigeurs de Drummondville. Since the NHL decided to say fuck-you to us fans, I’m throwing my support behind the Q!
Forget booing – at this point, I would not be surprised if people start throwing things at Bettman the next time he attends an NHL game. And I’m not talking about hats.
(I WANT HOCKEY!!! I had tomorrow’s game marked on my calender, and I had to cross it out. Fuck)
Why does everybody blame Bettman? He’s just the figurehead. It’s the 30 NHL owners who run this show. If you want somebody to hate, hate Mario Lemieux, and Eugene Melnyk, and Mike Ilitch, and Rocky Wirtz, and the rest of them.
What’s that? You don’t want to hate your team’s owner? Yeah, that’s why they employ Bettman.
Who said I didn’t? But fact is, this is the third lockout under this guy’s tenure.
I’m sure each team handles it slightly differently. I have a monthly payment plan and the team has halted collecting the payments and will pay 1% on the amount already paid. Refund info will be provided at a future point. During the last one you had the option of applying the payments to future seasons or getting a refund but only the former maintained your rights to the seats.
I will, confess, that it IS hard for me to criticize Mario. Not so much because he’s the team’s owner (as the team owner in this case, I’m pissed), but because he’s my favorite athlete of all time. Mario Lemieux is my hockey idol. He’s the best player to ever strap on a pair of skates if you ask me. So this fucking sucks.
A bunch of greedy bastards. On the other hand, surely you’ve seen what happens when Bettman attends a game. They boo the guy at the freaking Stanley Cup playoffs. And while he’s not the only one to blame, a lot of people will be assigning it all to him. Which was my point.
I didn’t make it to the Phoénix game, because my brother-in-law is a dumbass, but that’s ok - they have a whole season ahead of them to improve on this 0-2 start! 
I hate Bettman because he’s a smarmy little jerk. Sure, he’s just doing his job and it’s the owners yadda yadda but regardless of that, he’s a smarmy little jerk and as the figurehead he gets all the hate. If he doesn’t like it, he can take his $8M salary and fuck right off. He’s unsympathetic, condescending, rude and flat-out arrogant so even if he was entirely right, he’d still probably lose the PR battle. I think he - and the owners - are disingenuous and are not negotiating in good faith. I feel the players are making more realistic offers, simply because the owners haven’t actually shown that what they want will fix anything at all… just like last time… whereas the players are willing to give up a little to keep the league running. The players are greedy, sure, but I don’t really see why the owners mismanagement of their money is the players’ fault. Get better owners - you know, like billionaires who know how to run companies rather than rich criminals who only know how to pocket cash for themselves.
I already rarely drink Molson products so giving them up is no biggie, and have no phone or other services with Bell, so my boycott of owners kind of ends there unless I want to get ridiculous about it.
They are all stupid.
In other news, Max Paccioretty is headed to Switzerland to play hockey. Lucky them!
This. While Ken Holland and the Wings didn’t land any of the free agents they wanted in the off season, I’m honestly glad they didn’t sign them to any of the ridiculous contracts that those players received. And then to see those same owners turn around and argue that the players are greedy? Nope.
Speaking of Bettman, there are rumors that he’s planning to cancel the Winter Classic this year as early as November to prevent the players from using the events popularity against the league. Sounds like a dandy idea to me. :rolleyes:
Sometimes I wonder if Bettman is some kind of secret agent out to deliberately destroy the NHL. (I believe he was talking of banning players from participating in the 2014 Olympics?)
What is the actual issue? I hear players talking about the owners wanting them to take a pay cut. In a discussion on ESPN, a user said that the split of hockey related revenue was above and beyond salaries.
Well, as we knew, the rest of the pre-season has been cancelled. (Duh)
Talks to continue over the weekend
I say we lock them IN, until they get an agreement.