NHL CBA Talk

The PA is just using scare tactics and PR Dung. They are so full of it it's not funny.

They have no leverage so they are trying to scare some of the owners into caving in, nothing more.

McGuire said the players he's talked to have no idea what's happening during negotiations. If Nash said that, it's because Fehr wants him to say it.

SeawaySensFan wrote:
The added piece of the "pie" that the NHLPA wants is to get more and/or bigger contracts for the relatively few big fish in the league which leads to teams having to round out their rosters with bargain-basement contracts and screws the little guy, pretty much.

I think I read somewhere that Mathieu Schneider was complaining about the players not getting a cut of the sale of MLSE. Utter Dung if true.

NEELY wrote:Ovechkin saying he will stay in Russia past this season if they cut his salary? This is a case of players thinking they are waaaaaaaay more important than they actually are. If he was the only one to stay over there and a deal was signed the NHL wouldn't miss a beat and someone else would take his place.

Anyways, if this is "unity" then it won't take more than a season for this PA to crack again. Guess people don't learn from history.

Would he play better in Russia? Maybe he should stay there because he's no longer close to the player he once was - and frankly, he's not worth anywhere near what he's being paid.

Big Gar tells peons that they will have to bite the bullet:

http://www.montrealgazette.com/sports/lockout+Headquarters+staff+workweek+reduced/7266400/story.html

NEELY wrote:
Could very well be the case at the end of the day. Things like this make people side with the owners and if that happens the NHLPA is in big trouble.

NHLPA only cares about more money for its members, even if they damage the very league their very livelihood depends on. Why do you think they want to de-link salaries from HRR. League revenues will be low when we resume and they don't want the players to suffer even though they're responsible for at least 50% of the damage.

The league was in severe dire straits before the last lockout, they didn't care then either.

I wouldn't believe anything they say, they swore they'd never ever accept a salary cap remember ?

Oh the NHLPA is about as full of Dung as you can get. Anyways, this will kill a lot of teams and potentially NHLPA jobs... kind of hope that happens.

Gotta say, not impressed with all these NHL'ers going over to Europe and taking jobs from other guys, and the comments from Ovechkin are over the top, but I guess that's how he rolls.

I can understand the need to stay sharp and get ready for the re-start... but c'mon. At least stick around for a little while... it's only day 4.... where's the Unity we've been hearing about?

Bad optics.

shabbs wrote:Gotta say, not impressed with all these NHL'ers going over to Europe and taking jobs from other guys, and the comments from Ovechkin are over the top, but I guess that's how he rolls.

I can understand the need to stay sharp and get ready for the re-start... but c'mon. At least stick around for a little while... it's only day 4.... where's the Unity we've been hearing about?

Bad optics.

It's not a matter of if the union cracks, it's just when. Be funny if the NHL comes back to them and says "we are contracting 2 teams". See what the bottom 60 guys in the NHLPA say then.

Anyways, everyone with 1/2 a brain whether you support the players or not know this won't end well for them. It's going to either be spoon fed for them (like right now) or shoved down their collective throats.

So far I've:

-cancelled my Sports Pak on Rogers (which I was gonna do anyway, but no one needs to know that)

-will be cancelling The Hockey News (which I was thinking about because it's old news by the time I get it, but no one needs to know that)

-boycotted Sens merchandise - which is...money saved to say the least

- saved $$ on tickets I was planning on buying - usually with a buddy, so that's X 2

- saved on gas that I would have spent going out to see pre-season games, because I miss the game so much

- saved on eating around the SBP...because I don't need to go to Kanata anymore...ever basically - until this is resolved anyway.

I really wonder if I will watch hockey as much whenever this gets settled.

MLB strike killed baseball for me. If we lose a season or this really drags on I don't know.

I wonder where Melnyk sits in all this, I guess he agreed to the lockout but I wonder just how for it he really is. We'll never know since he isn't allowed to talk.

NEELY wrote:Ovechkin saying he will stay in Russia past this season if they cut his salary? This is a case of players thinking they are waaaaaaaay more important than they actually are. If he was the only one to stay over there and a deal was signed the NHL wouldn't miss a beat and someone else would take his place.

Anyways, if this is "unity" then it won't take more than a season for this PA to crack again. Guess people don't learn from history.

Puts a big exclamation point on the arrogance of an NHL hockey player. They don't give a damn about any one. He can stay in Russia for all I care. If he refuses to come back to the NHL then he will be suspended by Washington and might as well stay where he is. He has an $100Million dollar contract and he is not happy?

My feelings are if a player is in Europe during a lockout.. he loses his vote to settle any CBA.

He can't stay in Russia lol. He has a contract in the NHL and there's an agreement between the KHL and the NHL to honour each other's contracts.

What a big tool he is. That is precisely the kind of player that can kill a team. He already has hurt Washington badly with his lack of leadership, now this? I'd be pissed if I was whatever his name is that owns the team.

Ted Leonsis.

Man, I wish I was him.

$$$

I don't *wish* I was him, but I wish I had his money.

Meh I still think this is part of the NHLPA PR spin campaign. If Ovi wanted to play in the KHL he could have done so a long time ago.

All these players saying the lockout will be a full season (when McGuire says they have no knowledge of what's happening during negotiations) tells me they're just saying what they're told to say.

SpezDispenser wrote:I don't *wish* I was him, but I wish I had his money.

You know you do.

SpezDispenser wrote:He can't stay in Russia lol. He has a contract in the NHL and there's an agreement between the KHL and the NHL to honour each other's contracts.

What a big tool he is. That is precisely the kind of player that can kill a team. He already has hurt Washington badly with his lack of leadership, now this? I'd be pissed if I was whatever his name is that owns the team.

But the issue is... he is Ovechkin and thinks he can do anything.

Rick Nash telling reporters the lockout will last a full season tells me that the players have no intention on signing any deal to end the CBA before next April.

Fehr has obviously told them to stay out until they get what they want regardless as to how much damage it does to the league.. or who it affects.. and screw the fans, they will come back. Be very careful what you wish for Mr. Fehr.

SpezDispenser wrote:He can't stay in Russia lol. He has a contract in the NHL and there's an agreement between the KHL and the NHL to honour each other's contracts.

What a big tool he is. That is precisely the kind of player that can kill a team. He already has hurt Washington badly with his lack of leadership, now this? I'd be pissed if I was whatever his name is that owns the team.

If he won't come back... and I'm Leonsis.. I'll tell that Russian team to 'buy out' Ovechkin's contract dollar for dollar.. and keep the conceited greedy bunghole for all I care.

sandysensfan wrote:
Rick Nash telling reporters the lockout will last a full season tells me that the players have no intention on signing any deal to end the CBA before next April.

Fehr has obviously told them to stay out until they get what they want regardless as to how much damage it does to the league.. or who it affects.. and screw the fans, they will come back. Be very careful what you wish for Mr. Fehr.

It's just posturing and scare tactics. Once the players who can't play overseas start losing money and careers then we'll see what Mr. Fehr has to say.

Ovechkin can't violate his NHL contract so if the NHLPA settles he will have to come back or be banned by the IIHF.