NHL CBA Talk

SpezDispenser wrote:

Michallica wrote:

SpezDispenser wrote:

NEELY wrote:Honestly, after a fantastic weekend of sports and family, I could really care less about whether or not NHL comes back or not. I had OHL, NCAA football, NFL, and MLB playoffs. Was really solid.

It's not hard to find something to do with the time and money I save with the NHL not being on. Sucks too because I once really loved the NHL.

Bull. You sound like someone who really wants to watch other things, but in the end, they miss hockey real bad.

MLB playoffs are amazing dude. You really should watch it, i don't think any other sports games get more tense or have more pressure. Anyone who wants proof should watch the highlights from last year's world series, one of the best I've ever seen.

Yeah, I watch them...I'm surprised Neely got into them is what I meant.

Gotcha

wprager wrote:First it was Macramella, now Simmer:

Rob Simpson ‏@simmerpuck wrote:

According to source close to ownership, even with a little grandstanding for show, thrown in for another 2 weeks or so, Game On by mid-Nov.

Really?

SpezDispenser wrote:

wprager wrote:First it was Macramella, now Simmer:

Rob Simpson ‏@simmerpuck wrote:

According to source close to ownership, even with a little grandstanding for show, thrown in for another 2 weeks or so, Game On by mid-Nov.

Really?

This has been rumbling in the background since the start... various agents have been saying this... if it does indeed go down like this, makes you wonder how planned it was, which does not make any sense.

shabbs wrote:

SpezDispenser wrote:

wprager wrote:First it was Macramella, now Simmer:

Rob Simpson ‏@simmerpuck wrote:

According to source close to ownership, even with a little grandstanding for show, thrown in for another 2 weeks or so, Game On by mid-Nov.

Really?

This has been rumbling in the background since the start... various agents have been saying this... if it does indeed go down like this, makes you wonder how planned it was, which does not make any sense.

Huh...

Are reputable people reporting this? Is Simpson someone to believe?

I'd believe that Simpson (works on NHL network) more than the other Simpson (Shaun, the arrogant Front Bum from the Team 1200 who is a complete douchebag).

Aligns pretty well with the end of the world series....back many months ago, Bob mackenzie had predicted that the season would start late but not too late....hope it comes to fruition.

Big Ev wrote:I'd believe that Simpson (works on NHL network) more than the other Simpson (Shaun, the arrogant Front Bum from the Team 1200 who is a complete douchebag).

Slim pickins when your "news" comes from The Simmer and Geno "Useless" Reda.

I don't mind either Simpson, to tell the truth. I often listen to the one on Team1200 and enjoy his take on things.

wprager wrote:I don't mind either Simpson, to tell the truth. I often listen to the one on Team1200 and enjoy his take on things.

The Simmer enjoys your take on things too, old friend.

SeawaySensFan wrote:

wprager wrote:I don't mind either Simpson, to tell the truth. I often listen to the one on Team1200 and enjoy his take on things.

The Simmer enjoys your take on things too, old friend.

Well he must have ESP, then.

More doom and gloom from me... But this is my opinion only. I posted this on the NHLPA's facebook page and they deleted it... maybe I hit to close to home.

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I'm beginning to believe the NHLPA never had an intention to play this season. You have been doing nothing but delaying this entire process. That's why some of the players jumped to Europe so quickly. That's why you were not prepared to start negotiations in January as you would need to delay the process about 11 or 12 mos. while delaying for about 4 or 5 mos is so much easier to do. I think you believe Fehr can do for the NHL what he did for baseball.. no salary cap.. You are in for a big shock. The NHL is more of a gate-driven league and need fans to support the league with revenue. MLB got by with losing fans -- the NHL won't. All this posturing by the NHLPA is to turn the fans against the Owners.. so you delay the process long enough which will force the NHL to cancel the season... and make the Owners look like the bad guys. You are playing the fans as fools with all the posturing on this site and in the media, and along with player comments.... using fans as Pawns in your games against the NHL. Delay this process long enough and you will do severe damage to the NHL that they will never recover from. Follow Fehr to a lockout of a year or two -- then 200-300 players will not have jobs to come back to. Go ahead... prove me wrong. Give that proposal you have to the NHL. Prove you really mean it that you want to play in the NHL this season -- prove that they are not just empty words and lies. Have respect for the fans you say you care about. Get this done.

Both sides are being stupid in this. The NHL's initial offer was so insulting that I think it really set the table for this. Had they started with a more reasonable offer, maybe we would not be here. Neither side wants to blink first. They both want to "win" in the end. Both sides are very stubborn. This has all the makings for a lost season and possibly more. No matter how you slice it, it's stupid.

Ryan Clowe says players won't wilt or get pushed around, saying they are all united...

http://espn.go.com/blog/nhl/post/_/id/19675/ryane-clowe-players-arent-cracking

shabbs wrote:Both sides are being stupid in this. The NHL's initial offer was so insulting that I think it really set the table for this. Had they started with a more reasonable offer, maybe we would not be here. Neither side wants to blink first. They both want to "win" in the end. Both sides are very stubborn. This has all the makings for a lost season and possibly more. No matter how you slice it, it's stupid.

Seriously, if you get insulted so easily you should stay out of the negotiations room. Everyone knows that the first offer, no matter who gives it, is going to be ridiculous. Go to a market in one of the middle-east countries and you'll see something priced at $200 that, if you're willing, you could probably buy for $25. Was the $200 insulting? Is the $25 you spent insulting? Not at all.

The *real* problem was not how ridiculous the NHL offer was, but the fact that the PA did not produce a counter offer. In fact they went out of their way to make sure everyone knew it wasn't a counter offer. It was a completely different offer, and an instant indication that they were not interested in bargaining with the owners.

Anyone catch Guy Lafleur's comments today or yesterday? He was at the opening of some center carrying his name and I guess it came up about the European players saying they may stay over there after the lockout ends. Guy says, "Let them stay, more jobs for Quebec and North American players."

I wholeheartedly agree. We had superstars in this league way before Sergei Priakin laced up for the Flames (not that Priakin was a star, just the first U.S.S.R. player in the NHL; Liam McGuire has a piece on the history of non-Canadian born players in hockey -- very interesting read).

sandysensfan wrote:More doom and gloom from me... But this is my opinion only. I posted this on the NHLPA's facebook page and they deleted it... maybe I hit to close to home.

---

I'm beginning to believe the NHLPA never had an intention to play this season. You have been doing nothing but delaying this entire process. That's why some of the players jumped to Europe so quickly. That's why you were not prepared to start negotiations in January as you would need to delay the process about 11 or 12 mos. while delaying for about 4 or 5 mos is so much easier to do. I think you believe Fehr can do for the NHL what he did for baseball.. no salary cap.. You are in for a big shock. The NHL is more of a gate-driven league and need fans to support the league with revenue. MLB got by with losing fans -- the NHL won't. All this posturing by the NHLPA is to turn the fans against the Owners.. so you delay the process long enough which will force the NHL to cancel the season... and make the Owners look like the bad guys. You are playing the fans as fools with all the posturing on this site and in the media, and along with player comments.... using fans as Pawns in your games against the NHL. Delay this process long enough and you will do severe damage to the NHL that they will never recover from. Follow Fehr to a lockout of a year or two -- then 200-300 players will not have jobs to come back to. Go ahead... prove me wrong. Give that proposal you have to the NHL. Prove you really mean it that you want to play in the NHL this season -- prove that they are not just empty words and lies. Have respect for the fans you say you care about. Get this done.

The players and the NHLPA went into this prepared and had a game plan in place which is why players jumped to Europe so quickly.

BTW the NHL also had a plan and was prepared too. The lockout of 04-05 Bettman and his cronies were busy having weekly meetings preparing strategy FOUR YEARS ahead of time. BOTH sides are being childish and care more about winning the negotiation than ANYTHING else regardless of the rhetoric both sides spew.

Here's a solution.

Owners fire Bettman (well, maybe "fire" is too strong) and give him a huge severance check. Players, with their "We hate Bettman so much we're willing to miss two years" rhetoric have no choice but return to serious negotiations or completely lose in the forum of public opinion.

So they go back to the table and Daly proposes a sliding percentage starting with 54% and going down to 46%. Players counter and eventually they settle for 57% sliding down to 49%, while losing on some other issues like contract length, min salaries, max second contract, older UFA age, etc.

Next season revenues take a huge hit as owners drop ticket prices to lure the fans back, the season is shorter, and there's Bettman's severance as well.

Players realize that they lost really badly, go and beat up Lindros, then Weber and his agent, and shut their mouths for a long, long time.

People in the US say, "There's an ESPN-3? Huh, but 'Here Comes Honey Boo-Boo.'"

I have a feeling this proposal Fehr has been holding on to has a "no cap" proposal... anyone else feel the same? Maybe that's why the players wanted to hold off... cuz they knew it would be the end of the season.