The NHL is like a rich housewife living beyond her means. There's no reason why any of these guys should be making more than 4 million a year. The game simply doesn't attract the kind of national attention tht the contracts reflect. The owners, as well as the players have benefited from a system that probably was too good to be true and now when it's time to reevaluate the situation( the contract is up, folks...the NHL has a right to a new one, its not like they decided on this mid season), neither side wants to budge. The owners are the ones taking financial risks and I understand that they may want to be compensated accordingly. Like I've stated before, the stars will remain filthy rich and scrapers will make 600k. There are no victims here. Mike modano himself has stated that he regrets the 2004 lockout, what does that tell you? I'm rambling and I apologize.

quote:

Originally posted by 22nicky:
Well...based on the NHLPA most recent counteroffer, it doesn't look like there'll be any Rangers hockey this year. Screw the players and Donald Fehr, those greedy $$cks. They can't stay in the same framework and negotiate? The owners certainly aren't innocent. Oh well, guess it'll be the NFL, then have to wait for baseball.

http://espn.go.com/nhl/story/_...offers-step-backward

You know, I just read essentially what was in those 3 proposals the players and Fehr submitted. Proposal #3 is close enough to negotiate with. Bettman needs to bite the bullet on the ****ing contest and work with the Players proposal #3. Maybe Bettman actually read the proposals after being such a whining dou$$$ and walking out after they were presented and decided that proposal was close enough to negotiate with. It's a long shot, but maybe that's why he only cancelled up to Nov 1. From what I heard, they were originally supposed to cancel more games than that. Really really trying hard to stay optimistic, although they are making it extremely difficult to do that.

from various readings, it seems the players will accept a 50/50 split as long as any current contracts are honored. the NHL proposed a deal in which there is 50/50 split and current contracts get honored in the form of deferred payments, but these payments lower the revenue pool for the players in those future years. It seems pretty darn close to me. Just iron out those details!

RZ: Philosophically, I totally agree, but these teams wouldn't spend the money if they didn't have it. I feel odd in that it's hard to sympathize with either side.

I feel out of all the sports with the exception of football that these guys deserve what they make. They get banged up pretty dam bad!!!! Look at the contracts in baseball and basketball, I am sorry they are not taking the punishment that you take in hockey. I also feel that the owners are the bad guys in all of this. At the start the players were willing to take a pay cut or something to that affect and Bettman and his crew did not want to except it. And now the players are willing to take a 50/50 split and again the owners are not willing! The Players make the game work, we the fans come to see the players not the owners!!!

Its just to bad the players can't implement the programs and use the money they have to make the league run and really take a pay cut and dump the owners who are making the game worst for the fans. Dump Bettman who knows nothing about hockey and put Gretz in charge, someone who actual cares about the sport and knows about it. Yeah the players would not make much at first but in time they would pull profits and bring in revenue and stop all this greed and allow the fans to actual enjoy the sport!!!